Chemicals Between Us
by demi-kaijuu
Summary: 02/01/11 Chapter 13 is FINALLY up! Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change?
1. Prologue

AN: Ok this is a re-edited version of this story. I know I haven't updated it in a while, and to be honest I've lost the flow at the moment so I'm re-editing it so I can get back into it. I should hopefully be able to get a new chapter up in the next few weeks! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me, sorry its take so long.

Here are a few pointers about people and their ages etc.

**Sakura** – 20 years old, single, works part time as a waitress and also as an assassin for the Wolves. Has a grave dislike towards men after she was raped at 16.

**Syaoran** – 23 years old, also single, works as an assassin for the Wolves, is the next leader for the Li clan in China.

**Tomoyo** – 20 years old, married to Eriol, works with Sakura in the café, has known Sakura since she was 12.

**Eriol** – 23 years old, married to Tomoyo, only knows Syaoran as a distant relative. Owns the café that both Sakura and Tomoyo work in.

Both Eriol and Tomoyo know what Sakura does for a living, and although they don't agree they don't try to stop her or turn her in.

**Summary**: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** – I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals Between Us**

**Prologue**

The night was still – too still some might say. The stars where covered in a thick blanket of cloud that prevented their twinkling eyes from watching the human souls that killed in the dark. Even the moon was blocked out, and was only seen when it peaked through a window in the clouded sky.

A woman, dressed in a red halter neck and knee length black skirt walked confidently down the dark alleyway. She had her head held high and her eyes glittered with the thrill of the impending chase.

She stopped outside a steel door and knocked twice and listened for the watch hole to slide open. The guard on the other side looked at the young woman, said something inaudible and opened to door to let her in. The harsh grating of steel on stone would send shivers up any ones spine, but not hers. From deep inside, under layers of concrete, she could hear the throbbing bass beat, the inaudible mutterings of the partygoers. Winding her way down the iron staircase she let her senses probe ahead and adjust to the difference in noise and light.

* * *

Stood behind the tinted glass of the VIP lounge a man looked out over the moving mass of bodies below him. He allowed himself a small smile as he watched the almost primal actions of those bellow him, how the best dancers and the prettiest girls had a following of admirers tailing them around the club, just waiting to bask in an others glory. It was whilst watching these primal humans the he spotted the woman he was looking for. Unlike the others in the room she moved with purpose and grace, oblivious to all the perfect people around her. Her eyes were fixed on what he knew was her target, her resolve unwavering as she snaked her way through the crowded room. She could almost have been another person out to enjoy the night, her black hair glittered under the harsh club lighting, but to a trained eye it was obvious that past her looks there lay a deadly killer, one who would stop at nothing to hit the mark.

He knew her, not personally but her reputation preceded her. She was there to do a job, to commit a crime – but it was not his place to get in the way or intervene. Doing that would result in failure and failure was dealt with in a severe fashion. If she was distracted or unable to finish the job her life would be the forfeit, and he wasn't about to let her die

Her name was Sakura Kinomoto, a dangerous assassin. She was one person whose good side you needed to be on. She was a ruthless killer and a loner. That would change, she was to become his partner, but before that happened he was presented the opportunity to witness her talents in the hope that he would agree to the partnership.

* * *

She had the mark in her sight. Eto Katsuhiko. He was once a valued business partner, but he had learned too much and was now deemed a liability. The Intel she had been given presented an opening to get close to him. He was a leach, and loved nothing more than a pretty girl to fawn over him. That was her way in and a perfect performance was what was needed.

Sakura manoeuvred herself skilfully through the crowds around her, until she felt someone's gaze upon her. She flicked her eyes up to the VIP lounge and saw a tall handsome man with the most alluring but cold amber eyes. Their eyes met and she held his gaze until someone knocked her and the spell was broken. She turned her head to look at the VIP area once more, but he was hidden in the shadows.

Sakura focused on the target again, she couldn't afford to let herself be distracted. She couldn't afford to loose her concentration – not now. This kill was important to the people she worked and they were unforgiving. If she were to fail there would be consequences..

She pushed her way forward until she was stood next to him. She gave him a quick once over and her stomach recoiled in disgust. She had to lure him, which meant she had to let his dirty greasy hands touch her. He was like many of the rich greasy businessmen, overweight, balding. He was wearing an expensive suit and he was dripping in expensive jewellery. The needless show of wealth repulsed Sakura almost as much as the Katshiko.

She pushed pass him, pushing her body into his back. He turned to look at her so she smiled her most flirtatious smile and giggled, causing him to turn around fully and engage her in conversation.

He looked her up and down, a lustful look entering his eyes. Leaning in he introduced himself, not once looking her in the eye.

"May I buy you a drink?" He asked, still looking down her top.

"I'll have a screaming orgasm" Sakura replied, forcing herself to smile sweetly as he ran his hand down her back.

She drank her drink, confident in the knowledge that the alcohol would not affect her judgment or reflexes. She felt repulsed when he asked her to dance but she said yes because se had to. She only had one thought running through her head – that it was part of the plan and she couldn't bail out now.

Katsuhiko was delighted with his latest squeeze. She would be a great companion throughout the night, and later on she may prove herself to be just as interesting in the bedroom. He smiled as all manner of dirty thoughts crossed his mind and Sakura returned the smile, but for a very different reason. He had no idea how dangerous a situation he was in – she had him right were she wanted to be.

* * *

They left shortly afterwards, his hands all over her, caressing her skin roughly. Sakura, still playing the part, giggled and he pushed her against a wall, forcing his mouth over hers and kissing her roughly. She could feel her gun pressing against her skin on her inner thigh. She smiled inwardly, knowing that his time would soon be up, and that she was the bringer of death.

She pulled the gun out of the holster and pointed it at his head, forcing to him to kneel in the river of grime and dirt that moved past her feet.

"The Wolves send their deepest regrets but you have become a liability, and liabilities have to be exterminated before they cause a problem" she said in an icy voice.

"Please let me live. I won't say anything, I'll pay back the money I owe." He begged. "I don't want to die

"Then you should never have been born" she replied in the same icy voice as she pulled the trigger.

Katsuhiko's blood spattered the wall behind him, his brains running down the alleyway along with the water and dirt. Sakura looked at his remains, cocked a smile turned and ran.

Stepping out the shadows the man with the amber eyes smiled at her professionalism. She had successfully seduced the mark and eliminated him, and she did it with style and confidence.

He picked his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number." I'll work your assassin," he said in a monotone voice before hanging up and walking away from what was left of a once promising businessman.

* * *

Sakura raced through the deserted streets in her two-seated black sports car. It had been a gift from her employers to commemorate her 50th kill. Her bosses were generous to say the least, with each hit earning her the equivalent of a years' wages. Because of the obvious generosity she had a part time job, after all who wouldn't be suspicious of a twenty year old who had her own flat and no income to speak of?

Pulling into the drive she did a quick sweep round her property. She locked the car and continued to look for anything suspicious. Confident that she had not been followed she removed the black wig and tossed it into a nearby bin, scratching her head. She really hated wearing wigs; they made her head so hot and itchy. Entering the house she checked around again and made sure everything was locked.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the flat was the flashing green light on the answering machine, she dropped her keys on the table and pressed the play button.

"Congratulations Miss Kinomoto. Please attend a meeting tomorrow at midday. Dress casual and do not be late. We have an interesting proposition for you."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the demanding message, her curiosity piqued. As long as an interesting proposition didn't involve a partner then she was happy to go along with whatever they had planned. They were perfectly aware of her view of working with anyone. She was a loner and worked on her own. But she had been warned more than once that if she continued to be so uncooperative that she would have to be struck of the pay list. And in this business that meant more than not getting your next paycheck.

Sakura crawled into her bed and turned the light off. Checking her alarm clock was set fell asleep into a deep dreamless sleep.

**-- End Prologue --**

AN: Ok that's it for the prologue – please review, as I would like to hear people's views and opinions on the story

Ja

**demi-kaijuu **

-x-o-x-


	2. First Meeting

AN: Here's the next revised chapter. I'm keeping my original thank yous cause they're important to me.

A big shout out to all my reviewers – I love you all!

**DaShyGurl **– I'm glad you liked it, and don't worry I will send you emails when I update! And I can't promise Sakura will always be on time for her other Job!

**linda-liu** – thank you, I am glad you like it.

**AnimeObsessionFantasy** – I'm glad it is interesting; I hope that it continues to be interesting.

**sato onigiri** – it might well be a big boom, but I'm not saying anything more, thank you for reviewing

**myREEN n' RAAYneer** – I'm glad you like it and find it interesting, here's the next chapter.

**Kari Hiiragizawa** – err Kawaii assassins? Thank you for the review, but my day has been relatively chocolate less; there is none in the house!

**Kelly** - thanks you for the review, hope this is a quick enough update.

Also thank you to everyone who read and didn't review, and I hope you review next time!

Also a quick warning, this chapter involves a rape scene, it's not graphical, but I felt that I should warn you before you proceed with the chapter.

Ok I'll shut up now!

**Summary:** Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter One: First meeting**

Sakura woke with a start, her alarm clock beeping away furiously in her ear. Turning it off with a thump she rolled out of bed and stretched. It was 6am and time to get up and train as she did at 6am every morning.

She changed into a pair of sweatpants, a white tank top and her favourite running shoes. She grabbed her water bottle before she left, making sure to lock the door behind her.

The morning was still cold and fresh, the sun was slowly starting to rise and a thin blanket of mist hung over the city, bathing it in an air of calm. The roads where still empty, and Sakura felt as if she was the only person stupid enough to be up this early.

She headed down to the park, stretching her tired limbs on the way. She started running when she passed the first set of gates. The park was one of her favourite places to run, this early in the morning, she barely passed a soul apart from the odd runner or dog walker. This was possible one of the few times in the day when she was free from the stresses of her job. She was still free and the bonds that tied her to earth were non-existent. It was the only time were she could be herself and didn't have to put an act on for the sake of appearances.

Sakura jogged through the park, her footsteps and heartbeat in synch. There was nothing around her except for the murmur of the birds and the wind in the trees. But suddenly her finely tuned senses kicked in. Someone was behind her, matching her running pace, she speeded up and listened carefully as her followers pace quickened.

Her senses were on fire. Deep in her heart she knew it might be nothing, just someone matching her pace with no cruel intentions in mind, but at the same time there was the risk that whoever was behind her was not a harmless runner, just like herself.

Sakura stopped at the nearest park bench and proceeded stretched, ready to defend herself if need be. She watched the potential follower jog past, giving her a friendly smile as she passed. Sakura felt her heartbeat slow slightly and her nerves calm. The runner was female, probably about 18, and just looking for someone to talk to. Sakura had seen her many a day before now and often talked to her. But the thrill of running had gone from her, and the freedom she had experienced had escaped. Turning on her heel she headed home, despondent and disappointed.

Arriving home she locked the door and threw her keys down next to the phone. She wandered into the kitchen and grabbed some juice and a cereal bar before heading into her training room in the basement of the house.

She put on some heavy music with an energetic beat, living alone had its advantages, and no neighbour to complain about the noise was one of them. She stretched and pushed a few weights, waiting for the familiar burn to pulse through her muscles. She started punching and kicking the punch bag, putting all her energy behind each punch and kick. Once she felt calm enough she turned to her weapons cabinet and removed her most prized possession, her mothers sword. Passed on to her after her mother had died. Her strength and her compassion all came from this sword. It was her soul.

* * *

Sakura emerged about an hour later, tank top sticking to her like a second skin. She turned the shower on, waiting for it to get hot, almost scalding. Grabbing a towel from her room she stopped to pick up the clothes from the night before. There was almost no blood on them but she could see his greasy prints on them. She threw them in the bin in disgust and walked back into the bathroom determined to wash away the memory of his hands on her.

She stepped into the shower, the hot water instantly brining her skin up pink. She washed herself furiously, trying to remove the stench and grime that had been smeared on her the previous night, trying to wash the memory away of his hands roaming her body.

She hated it when they touched her, it made her skin crawl. To them she was nothing but a fresh piece of meat, maybe dangerous, but fresh. She hated it when they tried to take advantage of her; it brought back too many painful memories.

-- Flashback --

"No, no, leave me alone," yelled a 16-year-old Sakura. "Please just let me go"

The two men who had pursued her and caught her paid no attention. One of them clamped his hand over her mouth and she could taste the salty sweat on his palm. She could feel their hands roam over her body, touching her in places she didn't want them to touch. That she hadn't given them permission to touch.

She heard the fabric rip as they tore away her shirt, and felt them as they pulled at her trousers. She shut her eyes and let the hot tears roll down her face, trying to block out the weight of them on top and the pain that was spreading through her body.

Once Nadeshiko found out who had raped her daughter, they didn't live long, after all at the time she was one of the top assassins in the country. But the damage was already done and Sakura was no longer the person she used to be. It was after the incident that Nadeshiko took her under her wing and taught her everything she knew until she died, three years later.

-- End Flashback --

Sakura opened her eyes, her tears mixed with the hot water that streamed down her face. She gasped for air among the steamy atmosphere of the bathroom as she fumbled for the control to turn the shower off. She grabbed her towel and climbed out of the shower, curled up on the bathroom floor. Trying to push the memories out of her head.

She had never trusted a man since she was raped, and it was something that was not going to happen anytime soon. That was one of the reasons she hated her job so much.

But the killing was addictive.

The revenge was even better.

* * *

Across town a young man stood on the balcony of an expensive flat. He felt the breeze blow against his face and for a moment he was free for the path he had chose, free for the killing he did for a living.

He sighed remembering what he had seen last night. A 20-year-old girl who killed for a living to exact her revenge on men. A 20 year old who didn't have much of a childhood. A 20 year old who didn't have a way out.

"In some ways we are very similar" he thought to himself.

He turned his back on the city and walked back into his apartment, turning away from the corruption on the street. He shut the balcony door behind him, the metal runners moving smoothly and almost silently, isolating himself from the busy streets below.

* * *

Sakura left her house in her black leathers. Her bike was her baby, and the fasted way to get anywhere. She pulled her hair back, scrapping the auburn locks out of her face before putting her helmet on. She pulled out of the driveway with a screech, leaving a lingering smell of burnt rubber.

Sakura raced through the busy 9am traffic with ease. She arrived outside 'Lunar', the restaurant where she worked, which was owned by her best friend and husband.

She parked her bike round the back and hurried in. It had been a couple of days since she had been back and she was eager to see Tomoyo and Eriol. They kept her grounded, stopped her from getting into a death rage. She loved them both, they were the only two people she kept in contact with, the only remaining links to her past.

"Ohayo Sakura" greeted Eriol, kissing her on the cheek.

"Ohayo Eriol" she replied, smiling at him. "Where's Tomoyo?"

"She's out on the front of house polishing the espresso machine...again" he joked.

Sakura rolled her eyes at his comment, Tomoyo was well known for being tidy, but she was almost neurotic when it came to polishing the espresso machine. Walking out front she smiled.

"Sakura" she greeted happily.

"Hey Tomi – see you're busy cleaning the espresso machine again" she replied.

Tomoyo gave Sakura a tight hug. It was always the same when she returned from a hit. Tomoyo lived in fear that one night Sakura wouldn't return, that the man to be hunted would be the hunter.

"So what you doing in work so early?" asked Tomoyo already knowing the answer

"I have a meeting at 12 this afternoon!" she stated broadly. "So I figured if I came in two hours early you might let me go two hours early."

"Err Sakura, you have to be there by 12 correct?"

"Yup" she replied.

"If you finish at 12 how do you expect to be on the other side of town the same time you leave here?" she asked, waiting for the reaction.

"Shit" murmured Sakura. "Err ok can I leave at 11 and then do some extra hours later on this week?" she pleaded.

"Only cause you're my best friend" said Tomoyo.

"Cheers Tomi you're a star" she replied smiling widely.

Tomoyo just smiled back, and once Sakura had left the smile changed to a sad one. She hated what her friend did for a living, but like Sakura had said so many times before, she couldn't leave, and they wouldn't let her.

Sakura dashed out of the restaurant at 11am. She had to make a quick stop home and change into something a little less grimy, a little smarter. She knew that they had said casual, but their definition of casual differed big time from hers.

* * *

15 minutes later she was out of the house wearing a knee length denim skirt, slip on sandals and a black short-sleeved cargo shirt. She got into the car and immediately took the sandals off; she couldn't bear to drive in them if she didn't have too.

She arrived outside the large offices about 40 minutes later, leaving her 5 minutes to make her way to the penthouse offices at the top of the building. She stood in the elevator watching the lights changed as she neared the 34th floor.

The elevator pinged and she made her way through to the penthouse office. The secretary nodded at her to let her know she was expected, but she was still expected to pass through security and to surrender her weapons. She kept her head held high, times like this demanded confidence and surety

Entering the room she was immediately thrown off by the presence of someone else. So this was the proposition they had in mind? She knew its couldn't be anything else, normally it would only be her, on her own in a room with a mirror. They sat on the other side of the mirror, always able to see her, but never letting her see them.

"Miss Kinomoto" said a voice through the speaker. "Please sit"

She sat, showing her obedience. She still couldn't see him properly, he was stood in the shadows, his features obscured. She felt almost vulnerable, she needed a weapon, something to defend herself. Stupid metal detectors and security guards/

"Miss Kinomoto" came a different voice. "We would like to introduce you to someone. Li Syaoran."

The man in the chair turned around. Sakura kept her face still, determined not to show him that she was shocked. It was the man she had seen last night. He had been watching her. And that could only mean one thing.

"If you are thinking of partnering me up with him, forget it. You know I refuse to work with anyone but myself." She said standing up.

Syaoran sat there, no expression on his face, he knew there would be this outburst, and they had told him to expect it.

"Miss Kinomoto, we know you prefer working on your own, but for now you will work with Mr Li." Replied the same voice steeled with determination.

Sakura was outraged; they knew how she felt about working with a partner, a male partner.

"No" she replied. "You know I will not work with him, and you know my reasons why. I ask the council to reconsider their decision."

"The councils decision is final," said the voice, the anger beginning to show.

"I don't care if your decision is final, you know full well that in my contract I said I would not work with anyone else. It is up to you to honour that contract." She replied in a firm voice, her blood pressure slowly rising.

"MISS KINOMOTO" shouted the voice. "You will work with Mr Li whether you like it or not, regardless of what your contract says. You have two weeks to get to know each other before you go on your first mission together. From now on you will be sharing a flat, you will eat together and work together. And if you do not like this arrangement then you can leave, and you know what that will mean. Do you understand me?" He threatened.

Sakura sat down, visibly angry. There was no way in hell she was going to get out of this. They had had her held on a tighter reign than she had thought.

"Yes sir, I will carry out the councils orders" she replied.

"Good, now that is settled the address and keys for your new house are with the secretary, she knows who you are and what to give you. Please collect these items on the way out. And Miss Kinomoto, another outburst like this will not be tolerated." He replied.

The lights by the glass dimmed and Sakura knew that they had left.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out" she murmured to inaudibly to the men behind the glass.

Syaoran looked at his partner in amusement. She was full of fire that was for sure. But at the same time he wasn't sure if he liked her, but he certainly liked her killing style. It was rare to find any good female assassins, and just like her he refused to work with male assassins.

Sakura stormed out of the room, heading towards the secretary's desk.

"Kinomoto-san," said the secretary.

"Asami," she greeted bowing as well

"I take it you are hear for the keys for the new apartment." She said politely.

"Yes" she growled, not happy to be reminded of the agreement.

"I take it that you are not happy with their decision?" She asked handing her the keys.

"Stupid old men" she grumbled.

Asami cracked a smile. Sakura had been the one who always popped into visit her when things where slow. However whilst in the building Asami knew that Sakura was to be treated with the up most respect.

"I'll see you later Asami." She said. Turning around she shouted at Li. "Oi, Li, lets go." she barked

Syaoran just nodded.

* * *

Sakura was driving down the highway like a woman possessed. She was royally pissed of with them this time, they knew why she worked alone. And of all the people they could have partnered her with he had to be male.

She growled as she over took a car, causing a blare from the car behind her that had to swerve to avoid her. She smiled at this, if she was pissed, then damn right some other idiot could be.

* * *

In a dark room, where there faces where hidden the council had reconvened to discuss their latest mission for both Sakura and Syaoran.

"Will she work with him?" asked one of the men.

"She will have to, she knows if she does not then her life, and those of her friends will be endangered." Replied another.

"What if she does not comply to the councils wishes?" asked another.

"Then she will become the target, we cannot afford to have a rogue assassin!"

-- End Chapter One --

AN: I don't know when I will next be able to update – hopefully Friday when I've finished all my exams! Failing that I'll get the next chapter up within the next week. If you would like me to email you when I update, just tell me and leave your email address.

Please don't forget to review.

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	3. Moving Out, Moving In

**AN: **Thank you to all my reviewers - you all make me so happy cause you reviewed the story!

**babybluestarangel** - I'm glad you like it, here's the next chapter. Thank you for reviewing.  
**linda-liu** - thank you for reading and reviewing.  
**Vi3t BaBiI **- glad you like it, thank you for reviewing  
**Bloodlust Night** - here's the next chapter and I'm glad you like the plot.  
**Kelly - **at the moment there isn't a rogue assassin, but the council are worried Sakura will turn into on. Glad you like it, and here's the update  
**AnimeObsessionFantasy** - yup playing dirty they are, but things will get dirtier - can't say anymore or I might ruin the plot! Thank you for reviewing.  
**annelee - **thank you for reading and reviewing  
**alexi - **I'm glad you like it, please don't die cause here's the update  
lilli-lil - I'm happy you think my fic is good, here's the promised update.  
**Avelyn Lauren** - all I can say is they have their reasons, but I can't say anymore. I'm halfway through the next chapter of the prophecy and I promise to have it up soon.  
**seiko123** - thank you for reading and reviewing - here's the update  
  
So here's the next chapter - enjoy  
  
**Summary**: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?  
  
**Disclaimer** - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals Between Us  
  
Chapter 2 - Moving Out, Moving In **

Sakura arrived back at her place, still in a bad mood. She flipped her cell open and gave Tomoyo a ring.

"Moshi Moshi Tomoyo speaking" answered Tomoyo.

"Hey Tomi it's Sakura. What time do you finish work today?" she asked.

"Err in half an hour why?" asked a puzzled Tomoyo.

"Well could you come over and help me move out – I'll tell you everything when you get here" she replied.

"Yea sure, I'll be there in about an hour then, I'll bring Eriol along too – we'll need a strong man to help move the heavy the heavy things" she said still puzzled as to Sakura's sudden decision in moving.

"Ok, so remind me again why we need Eriol" she joked.

"Sakura, knock it off! I'll see you in an hour ok?" laughed Tomoyo.

"Ok Ja" she said as she closed the cell phone.

Sakura put her cell down on the kitchen table, and began to empty the cupboards. She threw a few odds and ends into a carrier bag, and the rest went in the bon. Most of it was out of date anyway.

Once she had cleared out the kitchen she moved into the living room. There wasn't really much there except a few photos and bits of junk she couldn't bear to throw away. She picked up a photo of her mum, and smiled at it. Her mother may have put her on this path that would eventually lead to destruction, but she loved her none the less. Nadeshiko had been a single mother, and done the best job she could in raising Sakura. Sakura's father had left just after she was born, taking her brother with him. He said he would not live in the same house as a murderer. He didn't take Sakura cause he knew she was too young, and was the apple of her mother's eye. Nadeshiko would not give Sakura up without a fight, and he wasn't prepared to fight for his daughter. He knew she would turn out like her mother, he could see it from the day she was born.

Sakura wrapped all the photos in bubble wrap, taking special care of the last photo she had with her and her mother together. The photo was taken just before Nadeshiko was killed, and as a result was one of Sakura's most treasured possessions.

Sakura moved into the bedroom and started packing up her clothes into big boxes. She always had the boxes in an empty cupboard cause she knew she never got too stay in the same place long enough to get rid of them. At the same time it stopped her accumulating unnecessary bits of junk. Some of the clothes she threw into a plastic bag, she would take them to a charity shop later on in the week once she had settled in. The rest was folded and piled into several boxes.

She picked up an old golden bear that was now ear marked and scruffy. She had had this teddy since she was a baby, and it was the last bit of her childhood she refused to let go of. 'Who knows what Li will think when he finds out I still sleep with a bear,' she thought to herself, and added as an after thought. 'Who cares?'

The doorbell rang shaking Sakura out of her thoughts. Knowing whom it was she didn't even to bother checking the peephole, a nervous habit she had acquired when she learned that people could be after you too. She knew she wasn't immortal or invincible for that matter. All it could take would be one bullet, and her useless life would be snuffed out like a candle.

"Hey guys" she greeted as Eriol and Tomoyo walked in.

"Hey Sakura" replied Tomoyo giving her long time friend a hug.

The three of them went and sat between the hurricane that was Sakura's living room. It was currently littered with boxes bags and bags of all shapes and sizes. To make it worse all of Sakura's draws where lying in the middle of the room. She had decided her room was too small and thought that the living room would be a better idea.

"Can I get you guys anything, tea coffee?" she asked.

"Err tea would be great" they both replied.

Sakura went into the kitchen, only to realise she had packed the tea bags away at the bottom of a box and that there was no milk. She popped her head back round into the living room.

"Err rain check on the tea, it's packed. Water ok?" she asked

"Yea sure" replied Tomoyo.

Sakura reappeared a moment later, skilfully carrying three glasses of water. She sat down on the armchair and waited for the barrage of questions to begin. She was well expecting this – it happened every time the council wanted her to move.

"So, what did they say this time" Eriol asked.

"I have to move house, and get this they gave me a partner. A MALE partner. I mean they know I won't work with anybody, but still they bombard me with a different partner every month. This time they where set in their ways." Sakura fumed. "Stupid old men. Oh and they also expect me to live with him. I don't get why I have to live him, I've lived on my own when I've had a partner before now."

"What's his name?" asked Tomoyo, used to her friends rants.

"Li Syaoran" Sakura stated spitting out his name like it was venom.

"Oh" said Eriol.

Both Sakura and Tomoyo turned to look at him.

"Oh" said Sakura. "You want to elaborate on Oh, or do I have to make you?"

"No, it's just that is the same name a cousin of mine had. But he died along with his family eight years ago. He was 15 at the time, and a bit of a loose cannon. What does this partner of your look like?" enquired Eriol.

"Err tall, brown hair amber eyes," replied Sakura.

Eriol's jaw hit the floor. His mind was racing. This description of Sakura's partner was identical to that of his cousin. But it couldn't be, he died eight years ago with the rest of the Li clan.

"Hey Eriol" said Tomoyo waving her hand in front of his face.

"It's him," whispered Eriol. Clearly shocked to find that someone in his family was still alive. He got out his wallet and showed a picture to Sakura. "Did he look anything like this boy I'm stood next to?" he asked her.

"Yea, they look the same, except he's older now. Eriol what's the story behind him." Asked Sakura, wondering if someone had a past like hers, a reason for doing what they did like her?

"Well this photo was taken a few weeks before the incident. I remember it clearly cause I woke up to find my mum crying at the kitchen table. It was all over the news at the time. There was a bomb in the Li mansion – at the time they where the most powerful people in china, and had a lot of rivals because of their position. All I know is that they never found the people responsible for killing everyone in the Li family. My Aunt Yelen and her husband died instantly, and his four sisters died a couple of hours late in hospital. They never found Syaoran's body, and thought that he had just been burnt to ashes by the flames." Said Eriol painfully remembering the memory.

Sakura sat there absorbing the information she was given. It was strange to think that Li had been through so much, he had lost his family and childhood innocence because of the bomb. Much like she had lost her mother to murder and her innocence to the unknown men in the street.

* * *

It was getting late. Syaoran had finished packing everything in his flat. There wasn't much anyway. He didn't have the need for useless trinkets and sentiments. What he had was in the present and it did him no good to dwell in the past.

He placed the last few boxes in the boot of the car. He had everything now. All he had too do was get in the car and drive off. He wasn't fond of the place he lived in now, nothing was home to him anymore. But still the prospect of moving in with a girl was daunting to say the least. He had been living on his own for so long now he didn't know how to act around people.

He sat in the drivers seat and read the address of the new flat. He knew the area, having lived in it before. He started up the ignition and drove off, leaving another part of his past behind him.

* * *

Sakura arrived at the new house before Syaoran. It was in a quiet neighbour hood on the outskirts of Tokyo. She looked the new house over, noting the state of the art security system and bulletproof glass windows. She walked up to the front door and inserted the key into the lock. As soon as she opened the door the warning signal from the alarm went off. She punched the code in and sighed at the peacefulness after she had turned it off.

Tomoyo and Eriol had left her some time ago. Mainly because Eriol was still in shock that someone in his family was actually still alive. They had helped her load some stuff into the back of the car, and waved goodbye to her. She left the flat that she had no happy memories without looking back.

Sakura started to ship some of her stuff in. Most of the boxes contained wigs and various coloured contact lenses for her disguises. She sighed as she carried a boxful of shoes in – yet more accessories for her disguises.

Sakura had just begun unloading the last boxes when Syaoran pulled into the drive. Instantly her temper rose. This was the one person in her life she could do without – but no the council where being all uppity over it. Sakura was fed up with having to obey their every command. She wanted to be a freelance agent, not tied to any one, anything, anywhere. But no she had stupidly signed her life away to them and had too do as she was told.

She felt like she was trapped in a five year olds life, a very gruesome five year olds life but the life all the same.

She growled in her throat as Syaoran walked into the house. It may be part his, but Sakura was not happy about having to share a house with him. And boy he was going to know about it.

* * *

Syaoran noticed the hostility Sakura was displaying towards him. But to be honest he didn't care. This girl was like every other one, just someone he had to work with until one of them got killed. It was easier not to get attached.

Attachment hurt too much when you where severed from the people you loved.

He carried his boxes into the house with out a word towards Sakura. Sakura was angered even more by his attitude towards her. Not only did she have to be partnered up with this moron – he was ignoring her. 'of all the cheek' she thought to herself. ' He goes about setting up this partnership and then doesn't say a word to me. That's it I hate him more now that when I first met him!'

Sakura carried on ranting in her head about Syaoran and his annoying habits. Syaoran was just humming away in his head watching Sakura get more and more angry.

Sakura flopped on the sofa and turned the TV on. The news was reporting on the death of her target last night. She cringed remembering how he had felt her up and kissed her. She hated killing – but it was a way of life. Her way of life.

"You are a good killer," said Syaoran interrupting her thoughts.

"Thanks I guess," replied Sakura absent mindedly not realizing he had just given her a compliment.

"But there are ways you could improve. Like you let them put their hands all over you when it isn't necessar..."he started.  
  
"Li, I don't need you to tell me how to do my job" Sakura interrupted. "I'm not proud of what I do, and there is no way in hell I am going to listen to you nit-pick my flaws. If I had seen you in action maybe that would be fair because I could nit-pick all of your flaws." She said very angrily.  
  
"I was only trying to help," he answered back equally as angry.  
  
"You want to help." Shouted Sakura. "How about this you turn round to the council and tell them you don't want to be in this partnership. Cause I know for a fact YOU organised it - and I am sure as hell not happy about it. So why don't you just admit that you can't work with me, and that you won't work with me, cause I swear to god if you don't I will make you life a living hell." She yelled.  
  
"I did not organise this" Syaoran yelled back. "I had as little choice in this as you did. You're not the only one who was dealt a hard hand in life so get over it already."  
  
"You know nothing of what I've been through" she screamed back, angry that he could accuse her of having an easy life. "I have NO-ONE left. You may have lost all your family but a least you still have Eriol."  
  
Syaoran was about to yell back and stopped. Eriol. She couldn't mean his cousin, and if she did how could she know about him. He was about to ask Sakura questions about his cousins whereabouts when she turned on her heal and stomped into her room, slamming the door so hard that it broke the hinges. He could hear her cursing the door, and a well-measured kick towards it.  
  
He sat down trying to understand what Sakura had just said. He came to the conclusion that she was lying, and without another thought to it he went to his room and began to unpack.

* * *

Sakura lay on her bed; fuming at the things Syaoran had said to her. She picked a photo out of one of the boxes and unwrapped it carefully.  
  
"What would you do if you where me mum?" She asked the photo. "Would you tell him that his cousin is my best friends husband or just not tell him anything?"  
  
End Chapter Two  
  
AN: OK there's the chapter, please RR cause it makes me happy, and I tend to update more!  
Err the next update will hopefully be by the end of the week, but I'm not sure yet cause I'm getting a new computer - and god knows how long it will take to fix up the network system...again.  
Yea if you want me to email you when I update - let me know. Either leave your addy in your review or email me - (original I know )  
Ja  
demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	4. Kindness?

AN: I am sorry for the long time it has taken me to update this fic, but as I explained when I updated The Prophecy (my other fic), I am currently suffering from pretty bad depression. So I hope that you all won't get too angry at me, because I've been trying to get my life back into perspective, so unfortunately my fic writing had to take a back seat for a while. I will try and update more often but I can't promise anything. I technically should be doing my biology right now – but I thought it would be better to do this instead.

Also a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm really sorry it's taken so long to update, but thank you for all reviewing and giving me your support. Without you this fic wouldn't be going anywhere!

So thanks to

**Marlyn**

**MagicKnightNancy**

**Mangalover123**

**boo**

**Stephanie**

**babybluestarangel**

**lilli-lil**

**seiko123**

**Kelly**

**svetlaella**

**SakuraDayz**

**Avelyn Lauren**

**DaShyGurl**

**AnimeObsessionFantasy**

**Cherry Jade**

**Vi3t BaBiI**

I am sorry for the delay – please forgive me!

**Summary:** Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter Two – Kindness??**

Sakura woke early the next morning. At first she was disorientated to where she was, but soon remembered that the council had forced her to move house again and pair up with a male partner. Sakura was still absolutely livid at the council for their recent decision. But it didn't matter; she would just have to do what she had done with every other partner they had assigned to her.

Drive them away.

Sakura got up and slowly crept round her room, gathering he running clothes and getting changed. She didn't want to wake Syaoran just yet, plus she wanted to be alone. Once she was changed and had tied her hair back she crept into the kitchen to fetch her water bottle.

She had just opened the kitchen door, and nearly screamed when she saw Syaoran sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Morning" he said, not even lifting his eyes from the paper.

Sakura just grunted, there was no way she was going to talk to the likes of him, what was the point in getting to know him anyway if she was just going to drive him away. She marched her way over to the sink to fill her water bottle, completely ignoring Syaoran.

"What have I done that is so wrong?" he asked her, not really in the mood for a confrontational argument.

Sakura just glared at him.

"Lets see, you've invaded my life, I have to work with you, and wait YOU'RE MALE" she yelled at him.

"WELL IT'S NOT MY BLOODY FAULT I HAVE A Y CHROMOSOME NOW IS IT" he yelled back, glaring at her.

"You know what Li, I'm not going to argue with you, I don't have the time nor the patience," she said as she marched out the kitchen.

Syaoran just rolled his eyes as she left. Why the hell did he have to work with such a difficult person, if he had known she was going to be like this he would never have agreed to the partnership in the first place.

Sakura jammed her feet into her running shoes. She could feel her blood boiling. Where did he get the right to ask her those kinds of questions? A little voice in the back of her head told her that she as much didn't have the right to judge him just because he was male. But she ignored that voice and continued to tie her shoes. She was so violent that one of the shoelaces broke. That was the last straw. She did her best to fix her shoes, and upon leaving the house she slammed the door so hard that one of the glass panes broke.

'Ha' she thought to herself. 'He can clean it up, he was the one that put me in this bad mood.'

* * *

Syaoran just rolled his eyes at her childish behaviour. He got up and tidied the glass, half fuming and half amused. In the end he decided just to leave the glass there for her to tidy up. She could pay for the broken window as well.

He got up of the floor and looked at the answering machine, one new message. He rolled his eyes; already knowing whom the message was from. After all who else had this number? He pressed the play button on the machine and listened to the boring monotone voice of the council spokesman.

"Mr Li and Miss Kinomoto. There has been a slight change in plan. In order for you to carry out the mission that will be set at a later date, you will have to act as a married couple. Your rings will be coming later along with other instructions. Do not make a fuss out of this."

Syaoran's face paled at this. Expecting them to live in the same house was one thing, but expecting them to act as if they where married was just plain dangerous

* * *

Sakura walked in about hour later. From habit she took her shoes off at the doorstep, forgetting that she had broken a window earlier. She walked into the house and stood on a big shard of glass.

"Fucking hell," she yelled at the top of her voice as she started hopping towards the kitchen, blood dripping onto the clean cream carpet beneath her feet.

She sat down on the kitchen table and looked at the large shard of glass currently sticking out of her foot. She knew she would have to get her sock off to look at where the glass was, but there was no way in hell she could take her sock off without removing the glass.

Syaoran had heard the onslaught of curses from the living room, and casually walked into the kitchen, thinking that nothing serious had happened. When he saw the blood running from Sakura's foot and the shard of glass that was currently embedded there he felt a bit sorry for her.

Sakura turned round, saw Syaoran and instantly jumped to the conclusion that he was going to laugh at her and leave her to sort it out. After all it was technically her fault that there was glass on the floor in the first place. What she didn't expect was for him to kneel down next to her foot, and carefully inspect it.

Syaoran shook his head, she was a foolish girl, but he didn't want to leave her to sort this out on her own. He felt bad that he hadn't cleaned up some of the glass that was lying around in the first place. He gently pulled the glass out of her foot, and then rolled down her sock. He inspected the cut on her foot, and found that it wasn't as bad as it looked.

"I'm just going to get the first aid kit ok?" he said gently, sensing that this was a time not to shout at her, or tell her of the councils plan.

Sakura just nodded. He returned a minute later with some cream and bandages. Sakura just sat there as he cleaned out her wound and bandaged it. He looked so gentle and kind. It lead her to wonder if he was like her, a person who craved the love of others, but because of his job had to maintain a hard outer shell.

When Syaoran had finished he packed everything up and turned to leave.

"Li," Sakura said suddenly.

He turned and nodded.

"Thank you" she said quietly.

"It's ok," he replied as he left the room.

Sakura was left there, completely lost in her own thoughts. What was to say that Li was such a bad person after all? After all most of her partners would just have left her on to sort out the mess she was in.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts she grabbed the dustpan of the table. She tried her foot out, only to find that it was painful to walk on. But she ignored the pain and went to clear up the mess she had made earlier, before anyone else got hurt.

* * *

Sakura hobbled into the restaurant an hour later. Driving had been hell on her foot, but her car was an automatic, so she could just about drive with one foot. Tomoyo looked up from the cashier and automatically knew something was wrong, just from the way Sakura hobbled.

"Hey Sakura. You ok?" she asked.

"Err not too bad, I kind of stood on some glass this morning so my foot hurts like a bitch." She replied, wincing as she put too much pressure on her foot.

Tomoyo just shook her head and told her to let her look at her foot. She saw the neat bandage, and knew that Sakura had not bandaged the foot on her own. Whenever Sakura had to bandage something she made such a mess of it that someone else had to bandage it up later.

"Who bandaged this up for you?" asked Tomoyo curiously.

"Li did." Stated Sakura.

"Oh," replied Tomoyo.

"It was strange." Started Sakura, "I mean the way we were at each others throats last night, and then there he was, looking after me. And the thing is he looked so kind when he was bandaging me up. Maybe he's more like me than I thought?"

Tomoyo pondered this for a second. But just shrugged.

Eriol came out a moment later, breaking the unnatural silence that surrounded his wife and her best friend. He saw the bandage on Sakura's foot and rolled his eyes.

"What did you do this time Sakura?" he asked.

"Stood on some glass, which was there cause I slammed the front door and broke one of the panes," she replied.

Eriol laughed at this. No matter what happened Sakura always managed to brush of an accident.

Sakura looked at Eriol for a moment, wondering if she should tell Eriol that it was his cousin Syaoran she was living with. After the way Syaoran had been so gentle with him, she felt like she owed him a favour. And what better favour could she give him than let him see his cousin who he thought was dead.

'You're getting soft Sakura' she said to herself. 'Why are you being kind? You know all men are the same.'

Sakura tried to dismiss the thought for the moment. She knew that Syaoran missed his family just as she missed her own. But like her would never admit to it.

"Eriol?" she asked.

"Yea" he replied whilst cleaning the counter.

"You know the other day when we were talking about how your cousin was killed in that bomb, and how the person I live with now could be him?" she asked. "Well I think he is, cause we were talking...ok so arguing last night, and I brought up your name and he went pale. I think he is your cousin, and I think it would be nice for both of you too see each other."

Eriol just looked at Sakura. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, he did. But he had never seen Sakura commit such an act of kindness. He shared a look with Tomoyo who understood what he meant. It seemed like Sakura was softening up slightly with Syaoran. Maybe she could put her demons to rest?

* * *

Sakura walked into the house at about 4 pm. Eriol had arranged to come round later along with Tomoyo. They had decided it would be better that they didn't say anything in case it ended up being a false trail.

Sakura saw the message on the answering machine and pressed the play button. She heard the message and saw red right away. She knew that the council where not going to like her reaction. Nevertheless she picked up the phone and rang them.

"Moshi Moshi Asami san speaking"

"Asami this is Sakura could you put me through to the council spokesman please" she asked trying to sound pleasant.

"Kinomoto-san, they council already told me you would be ringing and that I was to tell you that they where not going to change their minds and talking to them would be futile." Replied Asami trying to sound courteous.

"I don't care what they already said," replied Sakura, trying to keep her temper. "Please could you put me through?"

"Certainly, just hold the line one moment."

Sakura stood there tapping her feet, knowing that the council spokesman would be arguing with Asami. She waited till she heard the static on the other end of the line.

"Miss Kinomoto, if you are ringing about the change in plan then you should know in advance that there is no way the council will change their plans," started the council spokesman, not giving her a chance to argue.

"Well I don't care what the councils plans are," Sakura said angrily. "you already knew perfectly well that this would anger me further. Yet still you go ahead with this. You know that I am not happy with living with a partner, let alone a male partner. But you obviously think that I am so under your control that I will not say no to your orders."

"Miss Kinomoto, as you know the decision is final. Why do you persist in arguing?" asked the council spokesman, clearly angry himself.

"I persist in arguing because you know that I do not like to work with a partner, and you also know that I have problems when it comes to males. The fact is...." She yelled down the phone.

"The fact is Miss Kinomoto, if you do not follow these orders you will be considered a problem, and we all know what happened to people who make a problems for the council." He yelled back.

"Is that a threat?" asked Sakura, taken aback by his last statement.

"Yes Miss Kinomoto, now you will either work With Mr Li, or we can consider you and your cousins a problem. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR," he yelled.

"Yes sir. It is my duty to carry out the councils wishes," she said down the phone, scared for her cousins.

The line at the other end went dead, and Sakura could feel herself trembling for the threat. She no longer feared death; after all she had very little to live for. But she couldn't let anything happen to Eriol or Tomoyo. They where the only family she had left.

* * *

Syaoran heard the shouting from his room. He poked his head round the door to Sakura slam the phone down and match into her room, slamming the already broken door. He knew what she had just had another argument with the council, and he knew what they would have said. The council of the shadow clan would not back down.

He sat in the living room and put the TV on, absently flicking through the channels. He himself was thinking about how awkward things where going to be, especially now. And what was with him when he bandaged her foot, she was perfectly capable of looking after herself, but something had just taken over and made him help her.

He hadn't shown an act of kindness in years.

Why now?

* * *

Sakura sat in her room angry with the council. She would have to get Tomoyo and Eriol away from here, but she knew they would never leave the restaurant.

Sakura lay down, her eyes feeling heavy. Slowly drifting out of consciences and into sleep.

Syaoran himself had fallen asleep on the sofa. Someone knocking on the front door woke him not that much later. He lay there, bleary eyed for a second, wondering if the knocking had just been part of a dream. But the knocking continued.

He got of the sofa, slightly more alert. Who was at the door? No one else knew that they lived here. He cautiously walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Stood there on the porch were a girl and a boy. He didn't recognise either of them.

"I wonder if Sakura is in" he heard the girl say.

Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief. So these people knew Sakura. He turned the lock and opened the door, only to see something that astonished him.

* * *

Sakura was dozing; the knocking on the door had failed to wake her. In her dreams she was being chased.

She was reliving the night of the rape all over again.

She awoke with a start. Cold sweat was running down her face, and she could feel herself shaking.

"Why now?" she whispered to herself. "Why do I have to remember that night all over again."?

She brushed the tears away from her face. The past was too painful to think about. She dragged herself out of bed and into the en-suit shower adjoined to her room. She wanted to rid herself of the memory.

Once out of the shower and dressed, she put her wet hair up into a messy bun to keep it out of the way. She walked out into the living room and was about to flop down on the sofa when Syaoran grabbed her arm.

"What the hell do you think you are playing at," he growled at her.

"What are you twittering about now?" she asked in a bored tone.

"I mean who gave you the right to invite over my cousin, who I thought was dead." He replied in a deadly tone.

"Well Mr 'The world revolves around me', he also happens to be my best friends husband, or did that little fact slip you mind" she replied, getting angry at his attitude. "Plus I thought you would be happy to see him, after all AT LEAST YOU HAVE SOMEONE LEFT WHO IS PART OF YOUR FAMILY."

"You could have at least given me some warning that he was coming round," Syaoran yelled back.

"FUCK YOU LI," she yelled, "You don't have the right to order me about, we are partners, and if you don't remember I HATE YOU."

Sakura stomped of into her room, and left Syaoran on his own with his thoughts.

'Why did I have to go and yell at her' he thought 'she was only trying to do something nice for me, and I totally messed up. It wasn't that I didn't want to see Eriol again, it's just that I didn't want him to know who I was, that I killed people for a living.'

'It seems I have two apologies to make now.'

Syaoran got up and knocked on Sakura's bedroom door.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten so angry and uptight about it. It was just a shock that was all. I'm sorry I yelled." He said through the door, wondering why the hell he was apologising to her.

Sakura listened from the other side of the door. One part of her wanted to yell and scream at him for being ungrateful, the other part wanted to forgive him, cause he was right, she should have warned him.

Sakura opened the door a crack.

"I'll forgive you if you let me invite them around for dinner" she said. "I just want to make Eriol happy, cause his mother died from sadness and depression when the Li clan disappeared. I just wanted him to know that he wasn't the only one left in his family."

Syaoran nodded, it seemed like a reasonable idea.

* * *

Eriol was sat on the sofa in his and Tomoyo's apartment. The person in Sakura's apartment was indeed his cousin, but he couldn't forget the look on his face. It was almost one of shame.

Tomoyo sat down next to her husband and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"That was Sakura on the phone," she said softly. "She's invited us round for dinner tonight, but we don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No, no its ok, maybe it would be better if we did go, and managed to get this out in the open. After all, its not everyday you find a family member who you thought was dead." He joked.

Tomoyo just held on to her husband tighter. She knew it was tough for him, but no matter what she would be there for him.

She rang Sakura back to let her know that they would be coming round later. And then set to sorting out everything else, leaving her husband in charge of his thoughts.

**End Chapter Two**

AN: well there's chapter 2, just to let you know chapter's three and four will probably be up very soon cause it's the Easter holidays, so I have a lot of free time!

As always please review, and if anyone wants me to email them when I update either say so in your review, or email me 

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	5. Story retold

**AN: **Tadaa, here is the next chapter! I was just wondering if anyone is interested in being a beta-reader for me, it's just because some of my grammar is a little bit off (and this is coming from the person who is taking a-level English). If so could you just let me know.

As always here's my thank you list for everyone.

**MagicKnightNancy** – thank you for the review, hope I sent this you're way quick enough

**Avelyn Lauren** – either you are psychic or my plot line is really transparent. Yes more did happen to Sakura, but it will all be explained later on (mostly in this chapter). But most of your questions will be answered soon. (and boy that was one hell of a long review)

**Rosie** - Yup holidays are great! Thank you for reviewing, and I hope that I can keep you interested.

**Cherry Jade** – Updated, updated, updated, I'm glad you like the story.

**Piccoleia Star** – glad you like it, here's my next chapter, and thank you for reviewing all of the prophecy as well

**:D** – well here it is, thank you for reviewing

**AnimeObsessionFantasy** – sorry I didn't elaborate on the dinner more, but you will see why at a later date (I hope). Thank you for reviewing!

**marlyn** – I'm glad you love the fic, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!!

**Vi3t BaBiI** – One step at a time!! Heehee, this chapter is pretty much going to be the turning point in their relationship.

Anyway I shall be quiet now and let you all read the next chapter! ENJOY!!!!

**Summary:** Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter 4 – Story Re-told**

Sakura was just cooking for everyone when the doorbell went; she abandoned her cooking for a moment and went to answer the door. She looked through the peephole on the door, and just as she had expected it were Eriol and Tomoyo. She opened the door, smiling at them. However as always it wasn't a genuine smile, but more of one that was put on to make other people think she was ok.

The dinner passed uneventfully. Syaoran and Eriol exchange precious few words, and the tension surrounding the four was so thick. Sakura could see that both Eriol and Syaoran where having a hard time adjusting to the others sudden re-appearance. Sakura sighed along with Tomoyo; this was apparently not the greatest idea they had ever had.

On they're way out Eriol stopped and turned round to talk to Syaoran.

"One day, would you like to go out for coffee or something, you know just to catch up?" he asked.

"Yea," Syaoran replied. "That would be nice."

Eriol smiled, and the pair shook hands. Tomoyo gave Sakura a hug and Eriol kissed her on the cheek.

"See you Sakura," said Tomoyo when they had stepped outside.

"Bye," she replied.

Sakura shut the door and made sure it was firmly locked. She turned around and started gathering dishes to wash. She was slightly disappointed by the non-success of the evening, however Eriol and Syaoran had arranged to go out for coffee sometime, so it wasn't a complete failure.

"I'll do that," Syaoran said, taking the dishes from her.

Sakura just nodded. She sat on the sofa and did a bit of contemplating. After all it wasn't everyday she tried to help people in a kind way.

'Why I am acting so different towards him that I have towards others?' she asked herself. 'Is it because he's like me, and lost his family? Or am I just going soft?'

Sakura just sat there, and eventually picked up the remote and put the news channel on. There where several reports on the assassination from a few nights ago. When Eto Katsuhiko's widow came on, crying and acting like her dead husband was some kind of saint Sakura turned the TV of with disgust. It was a well-known fact that Eto and his wife were thinking of a divorce, and here she was, milking it for all it was worth.

'I hate fake people like that' Sakura thought to herself. 'They're half the reason I live this poor excuse for a life.'

Sakura settled down on the sofa. Recently she had started feeling constantly tired, and often ended up falling asleep throughout the day. She credited this down to the sheer number of nightmares she had that all revolved around one thing. Sakura lay her head on the arm of the sofa, and let herself doze off.

Syaoran finished the dishes and walked through to the living room. He saw Sakura lying on the sofa fast asleep, and allowed himself to look at her. In truth she was very beautiful, more beautiful when she was asleep, as you couldn't see the pain in her eyes. But her eyes where such an astounding shade of green, more emerald than anything else. He hated looking into her eyes because all he could see was sadness and the need for revenge. There wasn't even a glimmer of hope or love anywhere.

Syaoran picked the remote up from the floor, and put the TV on, making sure the volume was low so not to wake Sakura. He flicked through some channels till a show about assassins and some of the most famous assassins and assassinations came on. Truthfully he wasn't really interested, but there was nothing else on worth watching, and it was just so he could switch off and let his mind free wheel for a bit.

He was half awake when he heard a muffled noise from the other side of the room. He looked across at Sakura and saw her face contorted in pain and sadness. She was curled up in a ball trying to protect herself and kept whimpering.

"No, no, leave me alone," she mumbled.

Syaoran went to her side and tried waking her by shaking her gently. Sakura just curled further into the sofa to get away from him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE DON'T TOUCH ME" she screamed, tears rolling down her face as she flailed at an invisible enemy.

Syaoran got hold of her shoulders and shook her hard.

"SAKURA WAKE UP," he yelled. 

Sakura's eyes opened up with a start, the pain and terror so evident in them. She sat there choking back her sobs.

Syaoran couldn't help but feel sorry for her and gently pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back and making little shush noises to calm her down. Sakura just sat there; her arms wrapped around Syaoran's neck, trying to choke back the sadness that was overcome her.

Syaoran was wondering what it was that was making her so afraid. The one thing he had learnt from being an assassin was never to be afraid of others. But then again being afraid of your past was another matter. He pulled away from Sakura, and eased her into the sofa, his hands holding her arms. She looked so sad and vulnerable, what had happened to the fiery tempered woman that he was starting to like.

"You OK?" he asked, even though he knew she wasn't.

Sakura managed a little nod. What had just happened there, why had he comforted her after she had been so mean to him? Syaoran sat next to her on the sofa, still rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.

"You want a cup of tea?" he asked gently.

Sakura just nodded again worried that if she opened her mouth she would start screaming and never stop.

Syaoran went to the kitchen, leaving Sakura on her own. Sakura couldn't help but feel differently towards this partner than she had to others. True he was male, and 99% of the time all men where bastards, but he seemed different. Sakura couldn't put her finger on what it was, but it made her feel a bit safer.

Syaoran returned with a cup of tea, and handed it to Sakura carefully so she wouldn't burn herself. The sobbing had now subsided, but she was still sniffling and still looked so vulnerable.

"You want to talk about it?" asked Syaoran gently, not wanting to push her.

"It's just a nightmare," Sakura sighed taking a sip of her tea. "It was something that happened when I was 16, and no matter how hard I try I can never forget it." She started sniffling gain, and fresh tears made their way down her face. Syaoran took her cup of tea out of her hand and put it on the side. He pulled her into an embrace, and let her cry. He felt so useless; he was never any good at dealing with emotional women. But something in his heart told him that he couldn't leave her alone.

He let Sakura cry herself to sleep on his shoulder. He truly felt sorry for her; it wasn't normal to have a nightmare scare you this much. He picked her up, and was amazed by how light she was. He carried her through to her room, making sure not damage the already partially destroyed bedroom door. He placed her down on her bed and pulled the quilt up over her. She looked so sad and frightened, lying there on her own, tear streaks down her face. He sat down on the bed next to her, running his hand through her hair, trying to keep her calm and asleep. It reminded him of when he had to take care of his niece Akio.

Flashback

"Uncle Syao, I'm scared" his little niece said to him. "There's a big monster under my bed."

Syaoran picked up his niece. "Well then lets see what we can do about that monster," he teased.

He put Akio in bed and tucked her in. He crawled under the bed, and pretended to wrestle with the monster. He popped back up only to see a very scared Akio on the verge of tears.

"It's all ok now, Uncle Syao has taken care of the monster, and it won't hurt you!" he said, trying to cheer her up.

Akio flung herself at him, half sobbing and laughing. Syaoran tucked her back into bed, and sat there stroking her hair until she had gone to sleep.

End flashback

Syaoran got up and left Sakura's room; leaving the door slightly ajar so he could hear her if she started screaming again. He went into his room next door and changed into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He settled into bed, and even when he had fallen asleep he kept a careful ear on Sakura's room.

* * *

When Sakura woke the next morning she wondered how she had gotten to bed last night, the last thing she remembered was...crying on Syaoran. She could feel her face burning with shame, not only had she let him see how weak she was she let him comfort her. Sakura paused at the memory of how kind he had been to her last night, no one had ever comforted her after she had had an nightmare, not even her own mother who said that confronting her nightmares would make her stronger.

Sakura dragged herself into the bathroom. Her eyes were all bloodshot and she looked like she had been through hell and back. Suddenly feeling dizzy Sakura sat on the bathroom floor, enjoying the feel of the cold tiles against her hot skin. She sat there, her breathing rapid, and waited for the dizzy spell to pass.

"Stupid panic attacks" she muttered as she tried to calm herself down.

When her head had cleared she got up slowly and stretched. Feeling groggy and sweaty she climbed into a hot shower and tried to wash away the memories of what had happened the night before.

When she got out of the shower she slipped on a black tank top and some baggy brown cargo pants, she left her hair down to dry, creating a damp patch on the back of her tank top.

Sakura walked into the kitchen, her slippers dragging on the hard wood floors. She looked at the clock and nearly fell over in shock, it was 9AM, and she had actually slept in.

'Just as well I don't have anything important to do till 2pm' she thought to herself, still amazed by the fact she was late.

Syaoran was sitting at the kitchen table, newspaper in hand and coffee on the table. He was still wearing the boxers and t-shirt he had word to bed last night, and didn't seem in any hurry to get dressed.

Syaoran looked at Sakura as she walked into the kitchen, she still looked like hell, and that was after having a shower. He dreaded to think what he looked like, but to be honest he didn't care.

Sakura went over to the coffee pot and made a mug of strong black coffee, which she downed all in one, pulling a face at the end of it. That coffee was vulgar to say the least, but it had woken her up.

The phone rang startling the silence in the kitchen, Sakura jumped and dropped her now empty mug, which bounced and rolled a bit before coming to halt. Syaoran raised his eyebrow; she certainly was jumpy today. Sakura picked the phone up.

"Hello this is Sakura speaking." She said into the mouthpiece.

"Hey Sakura," came from the other end. "Could you come in to work early today, Eriol says he has to go somewhere later on, and Mandy isn't able to make it in before 5. Please?" pleaded Tomoyo.

"Ok" Sakura sighed, so much for a peaceful day. "What time do you want me in for?"

"How about be in by 10?" Tomoyo asked hopefully.

"12" Sakura stated

"11" replied Tomoyo.

"10:30" then said Sakura.

"DEAL" Tomoyo yelled down the phone.

"Shit" Sakura mumbled knowing that she had just been out smarted by her cousin. "Ok ok, I'll be in by 10:30"

She hung up the phone and traipsed back over to the coffee pot, refilled her mug and drank it all in one, again. Syaoran just looked at the girl in somewhat amazement; he didn't know anyone who could pour burning hot coffee down their throat in one. 'Then again, not all girls are like her are they now?' replied a little voice in his head. 'Yea I suppose, hey what the hell am I thinking?' he thought to himself. Sakura just looked at Syaoran with a funny expression on her face.

"Li, I'm going to work in half an hour" she stated.

"Ok" he replied, still having a conversation with himself.

* * *

When Sakura had left, Syaoran picked up the phone and rang Eriol. He wanted to know what it was that had made Sakura so scared and upset last night, and sensing that he wasn't going to get it out of Sakura he decided to try getting it out of Eriol instead.

"Hello" replied a voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey Eriol, it's Syaoran, do you want to meet up for that coffee later on today?" he asked.

"Yea, I have to be in a meeting at 3, but I can meet you at 12 if you want?" he replied, amazed that Syaoran had actually taken him up on the offer.

"Ok, 12 at Starbucks then?" he asked.

"Yea that's great. See you later then."

Syaoran hung up the phone and gave himself a moment to think. Why was he so intent on finding out what had happened to Sakura, it wasn't like there was anything special about her? Was there?

* * *

Syaoran pulled up outside Starbucks two hours later. He parked around the side, locked the car and headed towards the café. He ordered a latte and sat at table, waiting for Eriol.

Eriol arrived a couple of minutes later, shook Syaoran's hand and went to get a drink. He arrived a couple of minutes later with a latte and two slices of double chocolate fudge cake.

"Take it you still have a sweet tooth for chocolate then?" he asked seeing Syaoran's expression as he placed the cake in front of him.

Syaoran just nodded and dug into the cake. The two of them sat there eating their cake, talking a little about everything.

"Can I ask you a question about Sakura?" Syaoran questioned.

"Yea, but I can't promise I'll know the answer." Eriol replied, already having an inkling to what he was going to ask.

"What happened to Sakura?" he asked.

"You want to narrow that down a bit?" Eriol replied, wondering which part of her life he was referring too.

"Well last night she had a nightmare, but whatever it was it really freaked her out. I just want to know what happened, but I don't want to ask her, cause I have a funny feeling she won't give me an answer." He replied.

"It's not really my place to tell you," Eriol replied. "But I suppose you're right cause she won't talk about what happened. It happened when she was 16. She had just been out with some friends and was taking a shortcut home thinking it was safe. Suddenly two men jumped out at her and raped her, right then and there. But that wasn't the worst of it because there was someone there watching it. That person was her father. She's never gotten over it."

Syaoran just sat there in complete shock. What kind of man would just stand there and watch his own daughter be raped.

"Sakura's mother who was known as Night-lily at the time later caught up and killed the two men who had raped her. Sakura never told her mother that her father had been there. The thing was there was no love lost between her parents, he father was afraid that Sakura would turn out to be just like her mother, so he tried to break her spirit before Nadeshiko had the chance to train her. But his plan backfired; it only made Sakura stronger than before, and fuelled her into learning everything from her mother. After Sakura's mother died, Sakura went after her father. He was the first person she killed." Eriol finished.

Syaoran just sat there. No wonder she had no faith or trust in men, after being betrayed like that by the one man who was supposed to love you unconditionally.

"Thank you Eriol." He replied.

"Look you would probably be better not talking about it, it's one of those sensitive subjects that she pretty much refuses to talk of. Speaking of sensitive subjects have you ever found Xie-Xie?" He asked.

Syaoran growled at that name. "If I ever do, I'll be the last person he will ever see or speak too."

Eriol just nodded, understanding his cousin's rage. "Well I'm afraid I have to go now, need to drop into the restaurant before I go to this meeting. It was nice to talk to you again Syaoran." He said as he stood up and shook Syaoran's hand.

"Yea, it was nice to know that someone is still alive," he replied.

Eriol nodded again and left. Syaoran picked up his jacket and walked out after Eriol. When he got into the car, he gave himself a moment to think. Xie-Xie had been pushed to the back of his mind till now. But that man had a death wish. He rammed his car into drive and took off leaving tire marks in the road.

* * *

When Sakura got in there was no one in the house. She looked around and was surprised to see a note from Syaoran.

"Gone meeting Eriol will be back later. Have phone with me"

Sakura just rolled her eyes as she made a fresh pot of coffee; well at least Eriol and Syaoran were making an attempt to get to know each other. Sakura grabbed a mug and rinsed it out under the tap. She wasn't big on being tidy so things just got washed when she could be bothered.

Sakura sat down on the sofa and watched the Simpson's, it wasn't really her thing, but comical relief never hurt anyone. She felt herself getting tired half way through the show, but she was determined not to have a repeat of last night. She got up and started tidying up a bit. She eventually went into her room and sorted out her laundry, she put it into the washer and went back into her room to tidy up some more. She lay down on the bed for a second, but before she knew it she had fallen asleep, and was back into the hell of her dreams.

* * *

Syaoran got back later on in the evening. After seeing Eriol he had gone for a drive, and ended up sat on the beach for hours. Thoughts just kept racing through his head, his family's death, Xie-Xie and lastly Sakura.

As soon as he got in he could hear Sakura murmuring in her sleep again. He rushed through to her room, only to see her trapped in her quilt trying to fight her way out. He quickly woke her up, and let her have a few second to herself as she tried to gather her senses.

Sakura could feel herself trembling again. This time the nightmare had been when she killed her father. She could feel the hot tears roll down her face, and before she knew it she was back in Syaoran's warm embrace again.

"I killed my father," she muttered, "what kind of person am I to kill my own father?"

"I know," he said gently. "Eriol told me the whole story."

Sakura leapt away from him in a heartbeat.

"Who gave you the right to go asking questions about my life?" she half yelled at him. "You had no right, my past is my past. Go on tell me why you asked Eriol about it, was it so you could sit here and mock me about my past?"

"No, I.." he started.

"JUST SAY IT," she yelled at him. "Go on what's your ulterior motive for asking about my past."  
  
"GOD DAMN IT" he yelled back at her. "I only asked him because I CARE ABOUT YOU."

Sakura sat back in shock. She hadn't heard those words from anyone but Tomoyo or Eriol since her mother died.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "Don't care about me, I'm not worth it."

The tears started coursing down her face anew. Syaoran almost felt his heart breaking as he pulled her into another hug. He hadn't meant to blurt that out, but it was true. He did care about this spunky little woman who had lived such a hard life. He tilted her head up and kissed her gently on the lips. Originally it started out as nothing more than an innocent kiss, but slowly grew into something more passionate.

Neither of them noticed the tiny camera inserted in the wall.

* * *

"It seems that our plan is working," said one of the council members as they watched the drama unfold in front of them on the screen.

"Indeed, the only thing is will he gain her trust in time enough? And if he does, will they figure out our plan before we have time to execute it?"

"I don't think they will be a problem," came a voice from the shadows. "If there is they we can just kill Li, and keep Sakura captive until the time has come."

"Xie-Xie, we can worry about that later," replied one of the men from the table. "Step forward and join us at our table."

The man names Xie-Xie stepped from the shadows and sat at the table, and begun outlining his plans to the council members.

**End Chapter Four**

AN: Dun Dun Dun! Who is Xie-Xie? what does he have against Li? What will become of Syaoran and Sakura? (my god I'm a cruel person am I not?) Well I hope that is a good enough chapter for you all! And I'm amazed I got it up so quickly.

Please Review!!! And if you want me to email you when I update either say so in your review or email me – 

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	6. Raindrops in the Mind

AN: sorry this has taken so long to get up, I was at my dads this week, and normally that is an ideal time to write, the only problem was that the laptop had broken, and although I still had the piece of crap that pre-dates the stone aga I couldn't be bothered waiting 20 minutes for it to boot up, so I had to resort to writing it all down on paper. And voila here I am back home writing it up!!

Any ways a big thank you to all of my reviewers for the last chapter:

**DaShyGurl** – know the feeling, anyway here is the next chapter hope you like it!

**Vi3t BaBiI** – yes they did indeed, I'm glad you like this story here's the next chapter.

**AnimeLover** – I promise that there will be a lot more kicking ass in this fic!! And I'm happy that you love my story sorry it took so long to update.

**Manga-lover123** – Err OK, what chapter did you mean to review

**AnimeObsessionFantasy** – hmmmmmmm you got philosophical on me that time. Sorry the update took so long.

**Cherry Jade** – ahh the mysterious question on everybody's mind...who is Xie-Xie?? I will email you about the beta reader thing once I get my msn to work again growls at Microsoft

**Night of the Raven** – thank you for reviewing, sorry it took so long

**MagicKnightNancy** – hope this is soon enough, sorry about the delay

**Marlyn** – yey am happy you love this fic, can't tell you anything in case I give the plot away!

**Piccoleia Star** – that's a damn good question, where the hell is Touya looks for Touya I know I put his around somewhere!

**babybluestarangel** - BLINKS, I think I can safely say that that was the most animated and greatest review I have ever seen! LOL I can't answer any of your questions a)because it would give the plot away b)I don't think I know half of the answers anyway . But thank you for reviewing you truly made my day. And therefore this chapter is dedicated to you!!! THANK YOU

As always a big thank you to my reviewers.

I'll shut up now!

**Summary**: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer **– I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals between us**

**Chapter 5 – Raindrops in the mind**

Sakura was sat on the sofa, listening to the silence that surrounded the house. A week had passed since her and Syaoran had kissed, and during that time her emotions had run riot inside of her, one moment she wanted to kill him, the next she wanted to break down and cry. She couldn't fathom why she had let her defences down, and more to the point she couldn't understand how he had brought her defences down. So in order to rectify the mistake that had been made Sakura did what she knew to do best. She distanced herself even further from Syaoran and her defence's shot back up. She hadn't been this distant towards anyone for a long time.

Syaoran walked into the living room barely acknowledging Sakura's presence as he had become accustomed to the cold silent atmosphere. He himself couldn't understand what had happened, and in some respect he didn't want to think to much about it and as a result he too put his defences back up. To anyone else it would seem as if the two of them where living separate lives and the other wasn't even in the house.

Sakura growled inwardly in a fit of anger. Why was it that she couldn't get her head round what had happened? 'For heavens sake Sakura it was only a kiss', she thought angrily to herself. She knew all it would take to get the two of them talking again would be a simple 'hello' in the morning or something as equally trivial. She knew that she shouldn't be so bothered over one kiss, but this situation was different. It was almost as if the two of them had developed feelings for each other.

"I'm going out' stated Sakura, more to herself than towards Syaoran. She slipped her shoes on and half-heartedly stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her in frustration. The vibrations that shook through the house after the door was slammed shattered the fragile silence in the house and dispersed the cold eerie tension.

Sakura climbed onto her red motorbike and with a squeal of tires she tore out of the drive and raced through the suburbs. As soon as she hit the free way she accelerated even faster and swerved in and out of the already fast moving traffic. Several horns were blared at her as she narrowly avoided more than one car. Then the real excitement began. A patrol car had been sitting in one of the lay-bys and saw her tear past at a high speed. Instantly the sirens were turned on and the patrol car followed. Sakura could hear the wailing sirens and knew that they were trying to catch her. But there was no way she was going to stop for the police, instead she accelerated and decided to give them the chase of their boring lives.

The policemen in the car behind her where actually amazed by the sheer skill that the perused possessed. She weaved in and out of the traffic almost perfectly, and there was not a chance in hell that they would be able to catch up to her, but despite that they continued on and radioed for motorcycle backup in order to catch the suspect.

Sakura grinned as she looked in the side mirror and saw the police motorbikes behind her. This was certainly turning out to be more fun than she could possibly imagine. The police where good, but not good enough. In order to make their jobs harder Sakura quickly swerved off the free way and navigated her way through a more run down part of the city. The police were still hot on her tail and Sakura could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, urging her to go faster and adding an extreme thrill to the chase.

After nearly 20 minutes of leading the police on a wild goose chase around the city Sakura decided she was bored of the game. She put the pedal to the metal and sped off, leaving the police officers to eat her dust.

* * *

Sakura pulled up outside the restaurant. It had been closed for the last few day due to refurbishments, leaving Sakura a lot more free time. The only reason she had turned up was because Eriol and Tomoyo's flat were directly above the restaurant. Sakura let herself into the main hallway and started to climb the stairs, hoping that Tomoyo would be able to shed some light on the awkward situation she was in.

Sakura walked into the flat and was greeted by a bouncing puppy Labrador that Tomoyo and Eriol had adopted not that long ago. She scratched the dog behind the ears, and rolled her eyes at the sounds of the workmen in the restaurant. How the hell was she going to talk to Tomoyo over this noise?

"I'm in the kitchen," yelled Tomoyo, knowing that it was Sakura.

The second Sakura walked into the kitchen she could see how much the building work downstairs was affecting Tomoyo, as she looked worn out and agitated.

"Just five more minutes and they stop for lunch," she yelled over the noise.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the obvious chaos, but true to Tomoyo's word they did indeed stop for lunch, and the silence in the house was blissful.

"Thank god." Tomoyo said as she slumped into a chair. "I'm telling you I can't put up with this for another month, I'm going crazy! But any way what brings you over to this side of town?" Tomoyo asked.

"I think I would rather be over here surrounded by noisy builders that at my place where the silence is driving me mad." Sakura answered honestly.

"I thought you two were getting over the whole hostility thing. Tomoyo replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well we were, but then..." Sakura trailed of not wanting to admit to what had happened.

"Then..." Tomoyo asked urging Sakura on with frantic hand gestures.

"Then something happened." Sakura concluded as Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

"Sakura you are going to have to be more specific about it, I'm sure its not as bad as you think..."

"We kissed." Sakura interrupted.

"Ok, so maybe it is bad" Tomoyo sighed and blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. "How did it happen though? I knew you two where getting on a bit better, but I didn't think you were getting on that well."

"Well it was because of my nightmares. They've been getting more vivid again and sometimes I wake up screaming or crying. Li asked Eriol what was going on and why I was having the nightmares. After I found out that he had asked Eriol I got mad at him for going behind my back and not asking me upfront. Then he got angry at me and told me the only reason he had asked was because he cared about and somehow we ended up kissing. And now neither of us have said a word about it since." Sakura said, relieved to get it off of her chest.

Tomoyo sat there for a moment thinking everything through. The part that amazed her was that Sakura had actually kissed a guy when she didn't have too, and afterwards not killed, hurt or maim them.

"Did you like it?" Tomoyo asked simply.

"Like what" Sakura asked getting more frustrated and puzzled.

"Did you like it when he kissed you?" Tomoyo repeated.

"No...yea, I don't know. I was too confused at the time to even think about it." She replied getting more frustrated. "But that's not the point!"

"Well what is the point then?" Tomoyo asked diplomatically.

"I don't know. But this is supposed to be a working relationship only. We shouldn't let our feelings get in the way of our jobs; especially in out profession cause attachments are dangerous. I swear this is so messed up." Sakura stated as she paced the kitchen, slowly getting more and more frustrated.

"Sakura sit down and calm down for a sec. You need to think this through. Ok so you kissed and made a mistake, but then again who hasn't? This doesn't need to affect your working relationship. You need to talk to him and sort it out." Tomoyo said gently trying to calm the irate Sakura down.

"Ok, but how do I talk to him about it. I can't just walk up to him and say 'Li I'm sorry about that kiss the other day, it was a mistake. I hope this doesn't affect out working relationship. But sure we can still be friends". Sakura stated more confused now than she had been earlier.

"You need to think this through for yourself Sakura, I can't help you I'm afraid." Tomoyo looked at her watch. "I'm really sorry Sakura but I have to go meet some of the restaurants patrons for lunch. We'll sit down and talk about this sometime soon ok?"

Sakura just nodded knowing that she couldn't take up any more of Tomoyo's time. Tomoyo had just driven of in her car when Sakura realised something.

Her bike wasn't where she had left it, it had been stolen.

"Great looks like a long walk home then" she muttered to herself, in an extremely foul mood, as she set of on the long walk home.

* * *

Syaoran had eventually persuaded himself to get up and do something. But no matter what he tried to do he just got bored and frustrated. The kiss was playing heavily on his mind. What had possessed him to kiss Sakura? He knew now he shouldn't have, if anything it had just made the situation between them more unbearable than before. Eventually he gave up trying to do anything and flopped back down onto the sofa, his thought rushing around like there was no tomorrow.

Syaoran sat back up and decided he had do something, anything to occupy himself. But the flat was spotless and he had no jobs that needed to be done. Eventually he decided to get up and go for a drive. It was clouding over outside so he put an extra hoodie on. He climbed into the car and started the ignition. He too tore out of the drive, but not with the same ferociousness as Sakura. He drove around the suburbs for a while until he decided he needed to get out of the city. He drove onto the nearest freeway and headed north. But his thoughts where still plaguing him and in order to distract him he put the radio on and turned up the volume.

_I want you to remember  
A love so full it could send us all ways  
I want you to surrender  
All my feelings rose today_

Syaoran at first didn't recognise the song, but it was unique and held a certain meaning to it.

_And I want you to remain  
The power of children can amaze  
I'll try not to complain  
I know that's a pisser baby_

The name of the artist suddenly popped into his head – Bush. The song was the chemicals between us. He used to listen to this song before he had lost his family. In fact as he remembered both him and his brother loved this song.

_The chemicals between us  
The walls that lie between us  
Lying in this bed  
The chemicals displaced  
There is no lonlier place  
Than lying in this bed_

Syaoran smiled as he remembered back to when he still had a family. They had always been strict, but the love was there. Even after a rival gang had killed his father they had stuck together. It was a long time since he had felt that bond with anyone, and truthfully he missed it.

_I want you to remember  
Everything you said  
Every driven word  
Like a hammer, hell, to my head_

But the words were now striking new meaning to Syaoran. In some respects it was describing the relationship between him and Sakura. Neither of them could bring themselves to talk about what happened. And it wasn't so much everything that she had said to him, more the fact that she had said nothing to him. It was beginning to wear on his mind more than he liked.

_The chemicals between us  
There is no lonlier place  
Then lying in this bed  
The chemicals displaced  
There is no lonlier place  
Than lying in this bed_

Syaoran listened to the chorus more carefully this time. There was something between him and Sakura; there was no point in denying it. From the second he had first seen he her on that dance floor when their eyes met he knew that there was something different about her. It had been blindingly obvious at the time, so why was he now refusing to admit to the fact that there was something there? Even back then, when he had known who she was and what she did, he was attracted to her.

_The chemicals between us  
The chemicals between us  
Lying in this bed_

Maybe it was just easier to admit to it when she wasn't there, or maybe it was because she hadn't been a part of his life at the time.

_We're of the hollow men  
We are the naked ones  
We never meant you harm  
Never meant you wrong  
I'd like to thank  
All of my lovers, lovers, lovers_

Syaoran turned the radio of in disgust. Why was it that no matter what he did he couldn't get Sakura out of his mind? Maybe he should never have taken this job, but how was he to know that this would happen?

It had started raining and the further away from the city Syaoran drove, the heavier the rain. It was almost as if even the gods were telling him to turn back and confront the situation. But how the hell was he to confront a situation like this with a girl like Sakura? He turned around, knowing that no matter how far away from the city he got; the situation was not going to get any better. His windshield wipers were on full now, and he could barely see in front of him. He forced himself to slow down knowing that it would be suicide to go any faster.

As soon as he entered the city he felt uptight and uneasy. He knew what he had to do but didn't know how he was going to do it. He was about 5 miles away from the house when he saw a familiar figure walking in the rain. He knew instantly that it was Sakura, and he also knew he couldn't drive past her without feeling guilty and turning around later.

He pulled up along side Sakura and opened the window. Sakura was soaked to the bone and shivering. Water was running of her hair, which had become loose at the back and was tumbling down over her face. She looked a sorry sight, and Syaoran instantly felt sorry for her.

"Hop in" he yelled.

Sakura looked at him, her gaze mixed with gratefulness and uncertainty. She knew she couldn't keep walking the whole way home, hell she was as cold as ice and as tired as anything. But at the same time she didn't feel comfortable getting into a confined space with him. Sakura herself had been doing a lot of thinking about the whole situation, and knew that Tomoyo was right. She was going to have to confront him sooner or later.

She climbed into the car, her arms wrapped around her. She was shivering badly and her lips were tinged blue with the cold. Syaoran passed her the spare hoodie he had brought with him earlier and she put it on. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep some warmth in her. Syaoran turned up the AC so that there was hot air blasting at her.

"What where you doing walking in the rain?" Syaoran asked a little more coldly than he had meant to.

"Someone stole my bike, and Tomoyo had already left so I had to walk." Sakura replied in an equally cold manner.

Although the car was heating up inside, the atmosphere was tense and cold. Neither of them was comfortable with the situation they were in. Both where sat there arguing with themselves and how they should broach the silence and say something about it.

They arrived home and ran through the rain to the porch. Syaoran opened the door and let Sakura in first. She was still cold and shivering, but the colour had returned to her lips. She let the warmth that emitted from the house envelope her. When the door closed behind her she was shaken out of her thoughts. 'It's now or never you can't keep dodging the situation forever.' She thought to herself as she watched Syaoran walk of in the direction of his room.

* * *

"Syaoran." She said quietly.

Syaoran stopped in his tracks. Either he was hearing things or Sakura had just called him Syaoran. He turned around to look at her. She looks pitiful in his large hoodie and wet clothes.

"Yea" he replied in a quiet tone.

"I think we need to talk, cause we both know we can't keep dodging the situation forever" as she said that she sneezed.

"We'll talk after you've had a shower and got warm. Ok?" he asked.

Sakura just nodded and watched his retreating figure as he walked into his room.

Sakura emerged from the bathroom about half an hour later. The shower had been the best in her life and had warmed her up. The only thing was she was dreading what she had to do now. She had always been good at speaking her mind, the only thing was it involved a lot of shouting and swearing, and something told her this was one of those times where shouting and swearing would only make everything worse rather than better. She took a deep calming breath and walked into the living room, where, as she expected, Syaoran was sat.

Sakura sat in the chair opposite him. She curled her legs under her and got comfortable. She knew this was going to be awkward, and for all she knew it could set them back even further than they were now.

"Like I said we need to talk," Sakura said. "I don't know about you but I need to know where I stand after we kissed last week. I'm slowly going crazy thinking about it. I just need to know why it happened, and if we are going to do anything about it or let it drive us both crazy."

Syaoran just sat there for a second and let everything filter through. "I don't know why it happened." He started. "But I think we have to accept that it did happen. I think you're a unique person Sakura, but at the same time we have a job to do. I don't know how far we can go with thinking about this before it crosses the boundary of working relationship and personal relationship. All I know is that I kissed you and you didn't stop me." Syaoran trailed of having nothing else to say.

Sakura nodded. At least they had admitted that something had happened. But for some reason she felt a bit hurt inside. So all she was, was a kiss? For some reason it made her feel worthless and used, just like she had felt after the rape.

'This is a different situation' she reminded herself. 'Don't go thinking like that again, it won't do you any good!'

"Well I think its good that we've cleared this up" Sakura said. "I hope we can still be friends. Well kind of" she added as an after thought realising the way they had been acting towards each other was anything but friendship

Syaoran laughed slightly at this, but nodded in agreement. He was glad they had cleared it up. But for some reason it felt as if it wasn't cleared up properly. He knew that this would continue to play on his mind for some time longer.

* * *

Sakura went to bed quite early that night, as she was still very tired from walking about 8 miles through the pouring rain. Syaoran was half watching TV and half dozing when he heard the familiar screams from Sakura's room. Once again he was up like a flash and in her room, trying to wake her up and get her out of her nightmare.

"Sakura, come on WAKE UP" he half yelled at her in fear. This was the worst he had seen her since he had first seen her have a nightmare.

Sakura shot up so quickly that she nearly knocked Syaoran in the head. Tears were once again streaming down her face, and she was quaking from fear. Syaoran only had to take one look at her and he instantly took her into his arms and calmed her down. It took nearly half an hour until she was calm enough to go back to sleep. Syaoran had just pulled the quilt over her when he felt her hand grasp him. Her touch was almost electrifying. He turned to look at her, but all he could see where the sad eyes of a terrified 16 year old.

"Stay with me?" she whispered silently.

Syaoran looked at her in shock. He knew that he shouldn't cause it would eventually add up to more discomfort between them. But he couldn't leave her on her own. Plus he knew he wouldn't sleep properly for fear of her having another nightmare. He nodded as he lay down on the bed next to her. He stayed on top of the quilt because to him it seemed less strange.

Within minutes the two of them were fast asleep, Syaoran's arms wrapped around Sakura.

It would be the first peaceful nights sleep that she would have had in a long time.

**End Chapter 5**

AN: well that's it for this week. I will try and get it updated by next Friday, but I can't make any promises as I am going away over the weekend and might not be around on Friday to post it, so if not it will be poster late Sunday afternoon. I don't think I will be able to get it up any sooner because I am back at college on Monday groans.

Any way as always PLEASE REVIEW, and if you want me to email you when I update the story just leave you address in your review or email me – 

Well that's it for me as it is well after 4AM! Thank god it's Saturday tomorrow!

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	7. Starting Up

AN: ok I know it has been a very long time since I updated, and I know I probably should have emailed you all about it...but there is a pretty valid reason why I haven't updated my story in 76 days. Firstly I have just finished my major exams in college that will hopefully get me into uni – so that accounts for about 5 weeks, I've was also having to get all my coursework finished and do revision, and lastly I've been suffering really bad writers block with this chapter...so all in all I am really sorry that its taken this long to get this chapter of – but I have at least 10 weeks off before I go to uni – so I will try to update regularly!

Here are the thanks that go to my reviewers – especially this time cause no one kept bothering me to update when I wasn't.

**Leeman** – Thank you for reading, I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far, sorry it's taken me this long to get this chapter up.

**The Can-Can group** – Yup yup I know who! I'm glad you like this one, I personally agree cause I think it's more realistic than the last fic...plus I'm enjoying writing it! Heehee!

**blazinggirl **– sorry you had to wait this long....I'm glad you like the way the relationship is progressing, will endeavour to write more (wow look at the big words)

**xiaoME0W** – sorry I didn't update as soon as you wanted, I'm going to take the fact that you had no words for it as a good thing

**ShadowCat711** – very glad you like it, sorry its taken this long for it to progress feels guilty

**CherryBlossomYingFa** – once again sorry it took so long to update...I promise to update more often!

**Frosted BlossomZ** – wah so many questions...cant actually answer any of them cause a) I don't know or b) it would give away the plot

**Vi3t BaBiI** – yup and lots more fluffiness to follow.... promise, sorry it took so long to update

**AnimeLover** – there will be more fighting, more blood and more cuteness! Just don't know when yet

**Cherry Jade** – Glad you like it, in answer to your question...read the chapter :P

**Piccoleia Star** hmmm...yep it was stolen for a reason...more will be revealed later! joins in the chorus of aw's

**Ria **– I am sooooooo sorry it took so long to update, but I promise to email you every time when I update

**DaShyGurl **– OMG I am so sorry its taken this long, but I promise to remember to email you from now on!

**AnimeObsessionFantasy** – that's hopefully the idea, im sorry its taken this long to update.

**Marlyn** – I will try to make the chapters longer and include more SS action, but I cant say anything about Xie-Xie just yet cause he plays a pivotal point in the fic...and therefore no more can be said.

**seiko123** – I am so sorry I didn't update sooner, but I promise to update more often!

**Avelyn Lauren** – Where to start, well I'm glad that I've made more sence regarding the nightmare thing, I cant put it down to personal experience, but I know what its like to have nightmares after certain things happen, the only thing is my nightmares are not because what happened to Sakura happened to me (if that made sense) But you are right about Syaoran having his work cut out for him and its for more than just trust. But ill try and give more detail into why Sakura turned into an assassin at a later date.

Well thank you to everyone who reviewed, your reviews mean a lot to me. But I think ill shut up now and start this chapter cause you all want me to get a move on!

**Summary:** Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**The Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter 6**

The morning sun streamed through the curtains, chasing away the night shadows. The light fell in a thin beam on the bed, illuminating the two bodies lying entangled with each other. The rest of the house was silent, save from the light chirping of birds that could be heard from the trees outside.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and a small smile crossed her face as her gaze fell upon a sleeping Syaoran. She felt comfortable lying there, their limbs wound around each other. She liked the warmth that emanated from his body and the way his hair looked tangled and as messy as always. But at the same time it felt strange to her, she half expected to wake up and find that this was nothing more than a dream. She had never needed anyone in a way like this, so why now, why the sudden change. Why did she feel like she wouldn't be able to make it through the day if he wasn't with her?

She shook her head at the thoughts and slowly climbed out of bed trying her hardest not to wake Syaoran in the process. She padded gently across the bedroom, and one at the door she cast a backwards glance onto her bed, were she saw Syaoran lying there, looking innocent and peaceful. Almost as if nothing bad had happened to him, like he was a normal man just having a lie in before work.

'Looks can be deceiving' Sakura thought to herself, thinking of how she looked to the outside world. Although she looked cold and somewhat different to the rest of the world few people expected her to be a cold-hearted killer who showed no mercy to anyone.

'So why does it seem that I am showing mercy to Syaoran, another assassin, another person who lost his whole family?' she asked herself.

She padded softly into the kitchen and put the coffee on, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, it had been a very long time since she had had an undisturbed nights sleep and as a result she was feeling slightly disorientated. She leant against the kitchen counter and let the smell of fresh coffee hit her nose, reawakening her otherwise tired mind.

* * *

Syaoran awoke in Sakura's bed, unaware of where he was. His head was buried deep into the pillow and as he took a deep breath he smelt Sakura's scent, a light flowery scent that at the same time had a sad and deeper meaning. He rolled over with his eyes still shut, wondering why his bed smelt like Sakura, and as he opened his eyes and saw the light around him, his mind flicked to a more important question.

'What the hell am I doing in Sakura's bed?'

Syaoran sat up quickly, ignoring the dizzy sensation that flooded into his head. His mind was still asleep as he tried to figure out why he was lying in Sakura's bed. He made himself retrace everything that had happened last night, until Sakura's final words echoed in his mind

'Stay with me.'

A small smile crept across his face as he realised how much she trusted him, and in order to keep that trust he would have to act normal around her, and show that he trusted her as well. He climbed out of Sakura's bed and tried to straighten his crumpled shirt. He took one last deep breath and let the scent settle in his mind.

He could smell the coffee as the aroma drifted into Sakura's room, and hear the water as it filtered through and hit the gathering pool in the jug. He walked out of Sakura's room, shutting the door behind him, and slowly walked into the kitchen, worried that his breakfast would end up over his head.

"Morning" he said when he saw Sakura leant against the worktop.

"Morning" she replied, trying not to look at the 1st man she had shared a bed with since before the incident.

A silence settled over the pair, but for once it wasn't a deadly uncomfortable silence, just quiet. Sakura leaning against the counter looking out the window and Syaoran sat by the table, with nothing more than just the dripping sound of the water as the coffee pot filled.

Syaoran glanced quickly over at Sakura, who was seemingly in her own world. She was stood there in her pyjama shots and a tank top, her muscles well defined, but not so over defined that she looked ugly or butch. Her hair was tied up in a scruffy bun with bits falling down, and she had a far away childish look in her eyes.

The phone rang, its piercing ring echoing through the quiet house, shocking both Sakura and Syaoran out of their private thoughts. They looked at each other; already knowing whom it was on the other end of the line.

Their two weeks was up.

This would be their first mission.

* * *

Sakura wandered through the shopping complex with Tomoyo, barely listening to what Tomoyo was saying. The phone call that they had received this morning had put her slightly on edge and it wasn't the killing that was worrying her.

Flashback

"Good morning Miss Kinomoto and Mr Li, as you may be aware your two weeks are now up and it is time for you to partake in your first joint mission" said the council representative in his normal cold, distant tone. "This will be harder than any of your other missions you have undertaken, and as always secrecy is our top priority. You both understand this?"

"Yes, we understand the importance of secrecy and what we are to do if we are caught." Sakura said in the same cold tone, replying for both her and Syaoran.

"Very good. Tonight's mission will test both of your skills, individual and teamwork. You are expected to be in the office by 3pm where you will both receive your full briefing and instructions. But before the meeting you both must meet with Asami at the riverside café at 12pm were she will give you details." There was a brief click and then came the monotone beep, stating that the call was over.

Sakura stood looking at the phone, a mixture of excitement and curiosity had settled in her eyes, but deep down she was worried, it was one thing to work as an individual, but team work had never been one of her strong points, and she knew if push came to shove, she would leave Syaoran behind, and she knew he would do the same.

End Flashback

"So Eriol was like 'But Tomi we have to blah blah....and you're not listening to a single word I've said have you?" stated Tomoyo, raising her I was listening you were talking about something Eriol said" replied Sakura trying to look innocent.

"Sure, whatever." Tomoyo replied with a cheeky look. "When are you meeting Asami?"

"In about 5 minutes, so I better go...I'll meet you at 1 so we can get a bite to eat and go do some serious shopping!" said Sakura, as she gave her friend a quick hug.

Tomoyo stood there, surrounded by busy shoppers and watched her friend slowly move into the crowd and disappeared, becoming one of the nameless faces that few noticed and even fewer knew. It broke Tomoyo's heart to see her childhood friend doing what she did. But at the same time she knew it was Sakura's way of removing other dangers from the street.

Dangers that might rip away another girls innocence.

Just like Sakura's.

* * *

Sakura arrived at the riverside café. It was not the first, and would undoubtedly be the last time she had met with Asami here. If anything the company preferred it, it was less conspicuous. Sakura cast a glance around the many people already crowded into the café, many of them enjoying a bite to eat, or people out of college for lunch looking for a quick caffeine boost. Sakura smiled as she saw a bunch of college students downing espressos, the dark rings under their eyes prominent from last night's party.

She saw Asami approach her from the corner of her eye, one of the many skills she had picked up over the years. She turned and smiled, letting Asami know that she was in one of her rare good moods, Asami returned the smile and they sat at a table waiting for Syaoran to get there.

Syaoran arrived, looking slightly flustered, but as soon as he saw the two sat at a table he quickly placed a mask over his flustered appearance, making him seem rational and cold. But the sudden change had not escaped Sakura's view.

He sat down next to the two girls and forced a smile, making it look like it was the three of them just meeting casually, not that they were meeting to plan something so dark that half the café would pack up and leave at the drop of a hat. They smiled back and Asami began to explain why they were here.

"The only reason you have been summoned here is so that you can acquire the right outfit for tonight's mission" she said quietly. "As always what you buy will be charged to the company. The venue tonight is a rock concert, therefore meaning you will need to be dressed appropriately. Am I right in assuming that you both know the type of clothing you will need to wear?"

Both Sakura and Syaoran nodded in acknowledgement.

"Excellent, all that is left is for you to appear before the council later on today and then get to work tonight. I will see both of you at 3pm in the office." Asami stood up and shook hands with both Syaoran and Sakura, and walked out of the coffee shop calmly. Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and sighed, Syaoran because he hated shopping and Sakura cause she knew what tonight was going to be like. They walked out of the café, said their goodbyes and went in separate directions.

* * *

Syaoran cast a worried glance around him, earlier on he had been sure that someone was following him, paranoid or not he had just sensed it, and it was a familiar feeling, something he had been experiencing more recently. It was almost as if someone from his past had come back and was following his every move, their disapproval of the way he had turned out prominent. He had tried to shake this feeling off, but it was the same feeling he had experienced the day of the explosion.

He turned a corner and the sensation vanished, but if he had looked high up onto the balconies of the flats, he would have thought he was seeing a ghost from his past.

But that ghost was out to hurt him.

* * *

Sakura was sat patiently outside the food court in the shopping complex waiting for Tomoyo, the meeting with Asami had taken a lot less time that she had anticipated, and as a result she was having to sit a be patient, another skill she had perfected over the years. She saw Tomoyo a mile off, with her long wavy dark purple hair and co-ordinated outfit. She smiled; only Tomoyo would make such a fashion statement when shopping.

"So did everything go all right?" Tomoyo asked as they sat down with their pizza.

"Yea, but we have to go shopping for an outfit for a rock concert that I am supposed to be attending," Sakura said, waiting for the horrified look on Tomoyo's face.

"Err, ok, "said Tomoyo. "Looks like I don't get to get you nice clothes after all. Is there any perk in this?"

"The company pays for it," Sakura stated and watched her friends face break into a smile.

Two hours later and a lot of money spent the shopping trip was finished. Tomoyo had spent ages choosing the right thing for Sakura to wear, and Sakura let her friend do what she wanted. She knew Tomoyo worried about her, especially when she was out on an assignment. She also knew if Tomoyo knew that she was still plagued by nightmares from her past there was no way she would ever be left alone.

'But that's why you have Syaoran' said a nagging voice in her head, which Sakura chose to ignore.

Tomoyo climbed into Sakura's car and they sped of towards Tomoyo's house to drop Tomoyo off, and from there Sakura sped home to put on something a little more respectable before her meeting with the council. She got in just as Syaoran was leaving, but managed to persuade him to wait a minute whilst she changed. Then it was back into the car, and off to the dark looming building that stood in the centre of Tokyo.

**End Chapter 6**

AN: Ok I know it's not the longest chapter I have written, but that's it for now. I will try and get the next chapter up ASAP, but I'm going up to my dads for two weeks, and if the laptop is still broken then it might be a problem cause our main computer pre-dates the Stone Age.

As always RR, and if you want me to email you when it's updated either leave your address or email me – 

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	8. The Assignment

AN: I know its been a long time since I updated, and I am truly sorry about that, but it's taken ages to finish this chapter. You may notice that my writing style has changed quite a bit, and that in itself has taken time. This must be about the 5th draft of this chapter, I just wasn't happy with the way it was going. So I am really sorry about the delay. But I will try and update more often, but I don't know about this week cause I get my final results which will determine whether I get into university or not, so this week is going to be full of stress. I hope you can all understand this.

marlyn - I know how much you want SS action, and I promise you there is a little bit in this chapter and loads of it in the next chapter...thank you for being so patient with me

**AnimeObsessionFantasy** – well the ghost will be making loads more appearances so keep your eyes peeled

**Vi3t BaBiI** – arg I am so sorry it has taken this long...thank you for the review

**Avelyn Lauren** – Everything will be revealed about both Syaoran and Sakura's past over the next few chapters, but I cant say anything of the chapters plans cause that would genuinely ruin the fic, thank you for reviewing, and I'm really sorry its taken so long

**blazinggirl **– I'm so sorry you've had to wait this long, I promise that I will try to get the next one up ASAP

**AnimeLover** – feeling so guilty right now, I am so sorry you have had to wait for so long...gomen

**Ria **– I'm glad you like the way I've portrayed Sakura, I didn't want to write about how someone lets everyone trample all over him or her. Sorry it took so long

**Cherry Jade** – I'm glad you liked the chapter, I am really sorry its taken so long to update it

**yUmMyCoWs891** – Yes he is dangerous, thank you both Steak and Queen cow for loving this fic

**Kit-4ever2004** – ARG I feel so guilty, I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update, thanks for your review

**Leeman** – You must be thinking I'm dead at the moment, I hope that my fic lives up to your expectations

**The Can-Can group** – you are most defiantly a crazy person, thank you for telling me to take my time, I promise I will review what I haven't (bad dk). Keep the peace!

**Piccoleia Star** – well that's hopefully the idea, but this chapter shows how it affects both Sakura and Syaoran

**DaShyGurl **– Thank you, sorry it took so long to update

**Rosie** – Sorry you've had to wait so long to find out...I feel so bad

And a big thanks to everyone who read, I hope your enjoying this so far, and if you have any ideas or questions about the fic etc please email me – 

Right on with the chapter!

**Summary:** Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting

I would like to dedicate this chapter to **Avelyn Lauren**, only because she is truly an amazing person with a great spirit; she always reviews my chapters with appropriate criticism and always has ideas on what to do next, or how I could change certain things to make my writing more interesting.

**The Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter 07 – The Assignment**

Sakura and Syaoran entered the building, the glossy marble floors reflecting the bright sunlight from outside. But even illuminated the interior seemed dark and sinister. The main foyer was so quiet that it seemed unlike a busy office building, but both Sakura and Syaoran were used to the stony silence. They made their way directly to the main elevator, the receptionist, all ready knowing who they were, rang up ahead to let Asami know they were on their way.

Sakura watched the elevator dial slowly climb higher and higher, it was an old fashioned elevator, the metal work old but polished and the interior smelling like new leather from the expensive leather walls. It gave a loud ping as it reached the top floor, but both Sakura and Syaoran were off the elevator before the ping had finished, their movement brisk and business like. Asami nodded at them, her movements ushering them into the cold dark room. Sakura and Syaoran took their places and waited for the representative to brief them on their mission.

"Mr Li, Miss Kinomoto, thank you for attending this meeting. I have been told that Asami has already informed you of the venue, however you still need to be informed of the objective and the plan, which is not safe to discuss in public, as you know we pride ourselves in secrecy, and if you are caught we will deny all knowledge of you or any actions affiliated with this company, is that clear?" he asked with no emotion.

Sakura and Syaoran nodded and half listened as the representative droned on about standard protocol and the consequences of a failed mission. Both had had the rules of the game drilled into their heads long before they had even started killing, it was something everybody learnt through life. To be ruthless and attain your goals regardless of the cost to others, or in this case, the lack of regard over another's life.

The council representative clicked a button fashioned into the ornate desk and a large screen rose at the opposite side of the room, casting an eerie glow on the table and its surroundings. A picture of a young hansom man appeared on the screen, although the picture was black and white it was easy to see the contrast between his pale skin and dark alluring eyes. He had a finely chiselled face and a body to match and oozing with male perfection, he was the man who every girl wanted and who every guy wanted to be. But Sakura just looked at the picture with an icy glare, she didn't care who he was, or what his status was, and the only reason was looking was to take in his features – she needed to be able to identify him in a split second.

"This is Tom Chaos, he is the lead of the new band 'Chaos Rules', a highly respected client has come to us and asked that he be eliminated. The band is playing at Imation studios tonight, which provides the perfect opportunity to 'dispose' of Mr Chaos. In front of you is a file containing information about the target and the layout of the concert, including security, exits and vantage points. Because this is a very secure building you cannot take weapons into the building because of the metal detectors placed at all entrances, however we will provide a more primitive weapon that will work just as well, but more to the point make Mr Chaos's death look accidental." The representative moved through his speech quickly and efficiently, forcing both Sakura and Syaoran to pay careful attention.

The representative paused to take a drink, giving Sakura a chance to look around. She was slightly taken aback by the beauty of the room, having never noticed it before due to the intensity of the representative's harsh voice that demanded her attention. She flicked her eyes to the one-way mirror that took up an entire face of the wall. Behind it she could make out 13 bodies, undoubtedly the men who controlled her. But Sakura knew that there were only 12 members of the council, always had been always would be. And to emphasise the 13th person stood in there he was standing up, something a rarity in itself. She concentrated hard on the glass, trying to make out the features of the man stood directly opposite her and braced herself in shock.

The man stood behind the window was almost identical to Syaoran, she couldn't make out the exact feature, but the way the man held himself and the shape of his broad shoulders almost confirmed it. She could half imagine that he had messy brown hair that flopped over his eyes and hid the glaring amber glow. The representative's harsh voice brought her back, and she was left wondering whom it was that was stood on the other side of the mirror.

* * *

They sat in silence on the way home, both absorbed by their own thoughts. Sakura couldn't keep her mind of the man she had seen behind the mirror, but decided it was better to keep it to herself, she dismissed it as nothing more than Syaoran's reflection. But still there was a niggling thought in the back of her mind that it wasn't him. She pushed that thought deep into her unconscious and forced herself to think about the upcoming mission. The council had been crafty in getting round the security enforcements in the building.

Syaoran listened to the engine purr and let his thoughts wander. He could tell something was bothering Sakura just from the way she was acting and distancing herself. But he knew better than to pry into Sakura's thoughts, he was more likely to stick his arm into a hungry lions mouth than risk getting his head bitten of for being worried about her. He knew Sakura wanted to be independent and knew that him prying into whatever was bothering her would be disastrous. He pulled the car up into the drive and listened as the engine clicked as it cooled down. He turned and looked at Sakura, and for a moment she was worried he had seen the man behind the mirror as well, but he simply asked what was wrong, even thought he knew it was probably detrimental to his life expectancy.

"It's nothing" she replied, "I'm just a bit wary about tonight, my mother, she was killed on an assignment like this. It was a public venue, and there were hundreds of people, someone saw her, and caught up with her, she was killed by people who knew she would be there. It just feels like history is repeating itself. I guess it's just got me all nervous."

Syaoran was taken aback by her honesty, he still knew very little about Sakura's past, but this was another piece to puzzle, it explained why she had been so distant during the briefing.

"But this time there are two of us," he said in a calming voice, "we can look out for each other, and plus they're not going to expect two 20 year old punks to be capable of murder."

Sakura smiled at him, and for a fleeting second considered telling him about the man behind the glass, but she caught herself in time, and instead let herself out of the car, trying to act as if nothing had happened as she made her way to the door and let herself into the place that was temporarily called home. She flopped on the sofa and tried to banish the doubts from her mind, but it was increasingly hard. Syaoran came in shortly after carrying a cup of tea to help her calm down. Sakura was touched by his concern for her, but knew better than to show it. She settled down and held the mug in her hands, letting its warmth spread through her body. She let her eyes droop, and felt the mug being removed as she drifted into a restless sleep, haunted by her mother's eyes.

Syaoran placed the mug on the coffee table and watched Sakura for a moment; he knew that this took a lot out of her, hell it even took some out of him. But Sakura seemed so frail sometimes, even under the macho 'I don't give a damn' look he could still tell that she wanted out. He settled back into the chair and closed his eyes; it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes and fumbled for her alarm clock, it took a few second for her to realise it was the doorbell going and that she had fallen asleep on the sofa. She looked at the clock and was shocked to see it was 5:30, she hadn't meant to fall asleep, and she could feel the onset of panic as she felt the mission come closer and closer.

She heard Syaoran open the front door and heard Tomoyo say hello as she walked into the living room.

"Okay Sakura, you know why I'm here so get your butt of that sofa and into that shower pronto." She ordered, her cheeky smile lightening the gloomy mood that had settled in the room.

Sakura sat up and stretched before standing up and making her way into the bathroom. She grabbed some clean fluffy towels on the way past the airing cupboard and padded into the bathroom. The mirror had already misted up from Syaoran having a shower before her and she could smell the fresh scent of his shower gel, an almost tangy clean smell. She breathed in the smell before turning on the shower, forcing the old steam, and the scent that was left, to disperse with the arrival of the fresh steam that came from the pounding water as it hit the curtain.

Sakura stepped in the shower and braced herself against the scalding water. She felt the water trickle down her body and wash away the day's worries and thoughts. She could feel the heat penetrate her body and seep through her veins, warming her to the tips of her finger and sending a wave of calmness through her tense muscles. She let her face turn upwards and breathed a contented sigh as the hot water kissed her face and washed out her eyes, finally pushing the vision of the man behind the glass into the deepest recesses of her mind.

* * *

By the time Sakura emerged from the shower there was not a drop of hot water left, but she felt calm and ready to take on the assignment. She wrapped the larger of the two towels around her slim slender form, its fluffy texture caressing her skin and balanced the smaller towel twisted up on her head like a turban. Her skin was a fresh pink from the hot shower, she smelt and looked clean and ready to take on the world.

Sakura dashed from the bathroom into her room, and hastily threw on whatever she could grab that was near and clean. She emerged about 20 seconds later wearing an old pair of checked pyjama pants and a black long sleeved belly top. The towel was still balanced on her head and small rivulets of water were running down her neck and bare skin. She settled herself on the floor in-between Tomoyo's knees and let Tomoyo get to work on her hair. Her fingertips smoothed and massaged her scalp as she sectioned Sakura's hair, and Sakura found she was lost in the touch, much like a cat having its chin tickled. Tomoyo fiddled and pulled with her hair until she had it all pinned back. She grabbed the wig they had bought that day in the shop and fitted it over Sakura's scalp, making sure that none of Sakura's real hair poked through.

"Ok you can have a look if you want" Tomoyo said flexing her wrists and listening to the satisfying click.

Sakura stood up, her legs cramped from being sat in one place for so long. The wig had changed her appearance drastically; she no longer had a long oval face, but a much shorter, almost hollow face. The thick black fringe and the dark crimson streaks set of her colours, making her look pale, and hid her forehead. Her hair was now long and dark, coming past her elbows and down her back. The overall change was amazing to say the least, Sakura looked like a completely different person.

"It looks good Tomoyo" she said, still slightly shocked from the change. She was used to wearing wigs, but never before had one changed her appearance so much.

"Well we're not finished yet. Lets go sort out what you're wearing and I'll do your makeup." Tomoyo stated, as in command as ever.

Half an hour later, the new gothic punk Sakura emerged. Syaoran had also changed, but somehow the change was not as drastic as Sakura's was. He was also wearing a black wig that flopped over his face and hid his features, but unlike Sakura's new hair his was plain black with no colour added. He had donned a pair of black baggy jeans that sat halfway down his hips, revealing the black boxers underneath. There were multiple chains hanging from his jeans and several spiky bracelets adorned on his arms, the t-shirt was also black and read 'Order is the route of all chaos'. But the booths were the most noticeable, and most important part of the outfit; they had a huge flat wedge, metal buckles and were made of black leather. Inside the wedge of the shoes there was a small compartment, and within that compartment the weapon that had been issued by the council was hidden.

Syaoran looked up from were he was sat and was taken aback by Sakura, she may have looked different, but she looked absolutely stunning none the less. The wig really accented her facial features, and the dark reds and black she wore gave her a kind of ethereal glow. Her eyes were a dark crimson colour; an effect achieved by contact lenses and her skin was paler than normal. She wore simple but effective clothing, a pair of black baggy corduroy trousers with a dark red skirt over the top. She wore a plain black tank top and a studded metal choker around her neck. On her wrists she had leather wristbands that were a dark red and buckled twice on each side. Her hair was left down but held a few small braids, each interlaced with different shade of red wool. He shoes were not as extravagant as Syaoran's; they were red and also large with many buckles, making her a good 2 inches taller than normal.

"You two really look the part," Tomoyo said, knowing that both were nervous about working together for the first time. It took all of her willpower not to scream that they looked perfect together, should screw the council and start dating, but she knew this was neither the time nor the place.

Sakura just nodded as she looked at Syaoran. Then suddenly it hit her. She trusted this person, and he was the only male she had trusted since the incident. Here she was, going to a crowded public place with him, about to commit a gruesome and heinous act. She smiled, and looked at Syaoran again, this time looking into his eyes. He nodded, and muttered 'we have to go,' more to get himself away from this daydream he was in.

Tomoyo gave Sakura a hug, and told her to keep safe; she turned to Syaoran and gave him a hug as well, and whispered into his ear that he had to keep Sakura safe. They both acknowledge what she said and left the house. Tomoyo stood at the front door and waved them of, smiling happily to herself.

'Finally Sakura can begin to recover' she thought to herself as she closed the door and started to tidy up the mess left behind.

End chapter 7

AN: well that's it for now. I will try and get the next chapter up ASAP, but no promises it all depends on how Thursday goes

Please RR

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	9. A Crowded Room

AN: right I rewrote some of this chapter, and yea I am still alive. There is a long and complicated reason for not writing, but chapter 9 is in the works and will hopefully have it tues/wed. Thank you all for your patience.

Ok so on with the show (or chapter in this case – and yup I'm in a slightly sarcastic mood at the moment )

**Summary**: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** – I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

Chemicals Between Us

Chapter 8 – A Crowded Room

By the time Sakura and Syaoran arrived outside the Imation studios the queue had already stretched around the corner. Hundreds of fans had come to worship their idol, an idol Sakura and Syaoran were here to silence. So as not to draw excess attention to themselves they joined the back of the queue, waiting patiently. There were so many people there, all different, old, young, fat and thin. The range of people waiting outside was enormous, it seemed that everyone and their gran had pulled up outside. It brought home the scale of the danger they could be in if any one saw them, let alone caught them.

The queue slowly trickled forward, the main doors looming ever closer. Sakura and Syaoran could here the metal detectors going of constantly and that was just from the accessories and jewellery that everyone was wearing – and as expected the guards weren't taking much notice of it.

Sakura and Syaoran approached the main doors and saw the beefy looking security guards positioned around the entrance. They passed through the metal detectors – setting of a shrill ring, but after a quick cursory pat down and search by the guards they were waved through like everyone else. The gaurds were checking for drugs, not wepons, they weren't looking for two twenty year old assassins.

The Atmosphere inside the building was intense. People were queuing up to get drinks, CD's T-shirt it was becoming a marketing haven. The beeping from the metal detectors could still be heard over the noise of the incoming crowd, but were quickly faded the further away Sakura and Syaoran walked. Both were on edge, they had been lucky that the guards were not taking security as seriously as they should – especially because 'Tom Chaos' seemingly had enemies. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief – that they had got through the first part of the plan – the only problem would be executing the assassination in front of this many people and then managing to get away without being caught. There were too many risks for Sakura to comprehend. Although both her and Syaoran were the best for the job, it was their first time working together and a slightly easier situation would have helped them understand each others working patterns. Syaoran had seen Sakura kill before but she had never seen him in action – and because of that it made it hard for her to understand how he was going to work, or how the hell he was going to pull it off.

Syaoran could sense Sakura's uneasiness; he was experiencing something similar but was determined not to let her know. She was already nervous enough, especially because it was a similar event that had killed her mother. He decided to take the plunge, sure he might get yelled at later, but it was worth it for a little piece of mind on Sakura's behalf. He reached his hand gently towards her and then laced his fingers in-between his. He was ready to have her shout and scream at him for doing this – let alone doing it in public, but she didn't. Instead she turned her head and smiled at him. And for once it wasn't a fake smile it was a gratifying smile. He smiled back and they walked along hand in hand, like a normal couple.

The bouncer at the door into the arena had been trained to look for suspicious characters – he knew that Tom Chaos had his enemies and that someone would be willing to take him out. But when he checked the tickets of a happy looking pair – content with each other and excited to be at the gig he didn't blink an eye. They blended in like every other person in the building. However if he had looked deep into their eyes he would have seen the cold steel glare of someone who had killed before, and only then he would have know who they were.

Sakura made her way down the steps carefully, it was a new experience going places in these boots – heels she could handle, but these boots were beginning to kill her feet, it felt as if her toes were living in a sardine can. She made her way onto the main floor and began to push her way through the people already there – she was determined to get near the front – as close to the barriers as she possibly could. She felt Syaoran's grip tighten round her hand and was grateful for his company with her – in all honesty two people look a lot less suspicious than one person on their own. She quickly scouted round looking out for any hidden cameras or people that would get in the way, and seeing none she relaxed slightly as she adjusted to the people around her.

Syaoran was also on high alert, he could feel the moving mass of bodies around them, he could smell them, hear them and see them. All of the noise and smells were overpowering his senses and making him uneasy and on even higher alert. He felt Sakura's hand in his, and tried to concentrate on that. It had a strangely calming effect on him, almost as if there was no one else in the room except Sakura. He took a deep breath in, ignoring the overpowering smells, and willed himself to calm down. When he opened his eyes he was surprised to see Sakura looking at him, a hint of concern in her eyes. He smiled at her in order to elude her that nothing was wrong. Sakura smiled back, the brief flash of concern gone, and the cold glare of a killer out for blood returned.

The lights dimmed and the crowd surged forwards, the anticipation of the crowd reached its peak. Sakura's hand slipped away from Syaoran's as the crowd pushed them apart. She felt a brief moment of panic, but before she knew it he was back at her side, his hand in hers, calming her down. Sakura couldn't understand her sudden need to be with Syaoran, or why she felt as if she depended on him so much – it made no sense; she had never truly depended on any one in a long time, not since her mother had died. She smiled slightly at the memory of her mother, but then forced herself to realise the dangers of were they were and the mission that had to be completed. It was the same kind of event that had killed her mother, and for once she was not going to follow in her footsteps

The support band started up, and both Sakura and Syaoran felt themselves being dragged in with the crowd as the band captivated the entire audience. Sweaty bodies pushed and crowded together – desperate to get a little bit closer to that famousness that everyone craves. The noise from the crowd almost overpowered the amplified music from the stage as everyone went wild with excitement.

"GOOD EVENING TOKYO" yelled the front man for the support group. "Are you ready to PARTY?"

His question was met with loud shouts and wild screams from the already hyper-energized audience. The noise was almost deafening, but at the same time there was a light, excitable feel to the air. It was like a drug and Sakura could feel herself being drawn into it. She felt as if she wanted to let go and dance with everyone else, for a short while forget who she was – and for the first time in a long time she let herself be herself and dance to the music.

The support act had finished 10 minutes ago, and 'Chaos rules' were not due to make an appearance on stage for another 10 minutes. Sakura was on a high, and gulped the cold water like a person in a desert. She felt so free, and for once she felt like her age. She no longer felt years older than she was, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Syaoran had noticed the change, Sakura seemed bubbly and happy, but he knew, just as she did, that the mission was number one, and that eventually she would have to sober up in order to complete what she was paid to do.

The pair made their way back into the arena, waiting with hundreds of other fans for the main act to commence. But they were waiting for a different reason. Sakura could feel herself returning to the harsh reality she lived in. She knew what she had to do, and in order to do it she needed to be aware and focused, something she had let go of for a short while. She checked her watch, only 5 minutes till go time. She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus and be prepared for her job. She turned and looked at Syaoran, the same old steely cold glint in her eyes. He looked back at her, and nodded, they both knew the time was fast approaching. He slowly moved backwards and headed towards his position, his eyes never leaving hers until his back turned. Sakura suddenly felt a sense of alarm followed by worry. What if something went wrong and he was hurt, or they were both captured? She forced herself to look forward and banish the doubts from her mind. They were both experienced at what they did – there was no need to worry unnecessarily.

All of a sudden the lights dimmed and Sakura lost sight of Syaoran all together. She turned and faced the stage and watched as the band slowly filtered on stage. A slow but loud drumbeat started and she could feel her heart beat along with it. But this time she knew she couldn't get lost in the beat, she had a job to do. She watched as Tom Chaos walked onto the stage and admired the control he had over the audience. He had a strange aura about him, and for once Sakura couldn't understand why someone would want him dead. He didn't seem to be evil or angry at the world, it almost seemed wrong to her. But who was she to judge whether he should live or die – she was paid to complete a job, and that job had to be done or her life would be the final price.

She studied the target for a few seconds, carefully taking in his features and movements. This would be easy, there was no where for him to run to in an emergency. She checked her watch – 9:52pm.

8 minutes till the curtain fell on Tom Chaos's life

Syaoran carefully crept over to the side stairway, which would take him up to the deserted balcony; the area the attack would be staged from. He sidled up to the barrier and tried to look as if he was enjoying the music from a safe distance. The security guard grinned at him – thinking he was another first timer who couldn't stand the heat. That smile was his last as Syaoran tackled him, and broke his neck with a swift jerk of his arm. The security guard dropped like a ton of bricks and Syaoran dragged him to the side – hiding him behind the long drapes that hung from the balcony. Checking that no one had seen him he slowly made his way up the stairs and hidden by darkness he settled down.

He pulled of both of his boots, and slid back a secret compartment. He pulled out a small tube and a lethal looking dart. This was the secret weapon the council had provided him with – an ancient blowgun and a dart. He had to admit that the council were clever, no one would have checked his shoes, and even if the boots had gone through an x-ray scanner nothing would have shown up or looked out of the ordinary.

He too checked his watch.

4 minutes to go.

Sakura swiftly moved out of the crowd and made in the direction of the exits. She made it look as if she was casually going to the bathroom. Once past the security guards she quickly ducked into the security offices. As expected no one was there. She looked at the screen taping the balcony – and saw Syaoran. She quickly removed the videotape and destroyed it – shredding the thin vinyl to shreds. She dashed back out of the security office and continued towards the toilets, acting as if nothing had happened. She checked her watch – 30 seconds till her part came into action.

Syaoran lined up the target with the small-automated device attached to the blowgun. He blew and watched as the small dart sped towards his target. As it hit the target the fire alarm went of. He smiled, it would take five minutes for the dart to take effect, and he, Sakura and half of the building would be gone in 2 minutes. He darted of the balcony and down the stairs, joining the panicked crowd beneath him.

He ran to the exits with the crowd and burst outwards, streaming out through the building with hundreds of other people. He jogged towards the meeting point, a small café 5 mins away from the studio. Sakura wasn't there. He initially felt a slight panic. Was she all right? Had she been caught up with the hundreds of other desperate people? Had she been crushed in the rush to escape? Each thought was piling higher and higher, causing him to get more and more worried. He turned, eagerly scanning the area for any sign of Sakura. He saw people from the gig walk by still looking panicked. But still no Sakura. He checked his watch, 10:07, the dart would have taken effect now – and if Sakura was still there…he didn't want to think about it. But all of a sudden he saw her out of the corner of his eye, and he felt a huge sense of calm wash over him. She jogged up to him, her wig all messed up and hanging at an angle and smiled.

"Sorry I took so long – there were too many people" she said calmly as she tried to ignore the concern that washed over his face.

"It's ok" he said, "lets go."


	10. Something I Forgot I Had

AN: Ok too much to explain in this without getting into trouble, but look on my profile and there is the explanation for my over a yearlong absence from this fic.

Summary: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

Disclaimer - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

Chemicals Between Us

Chapter Nine – Something I forgot I had

Sakura woke up the next morning, her eyes heavy and mouth dry. Late nights just weren't her thing anymore, add it in with the stress of last night and it was going to make her a grumpy bitch for the rest of the day. Just wishing she could go back to sleep she rolled over, once again to be confronted with Syaoran's face. But this time it didn't make her jump. She had asked him to come through last night, once again it was another nightmare, but this time it was different, it wasn't her mothers murder, or the rape that had disturbed another nights sleep. It wasn't something that had happened in the past, it was something that had not yet happened, and hopefully would never happen.

She looked over to Syaoran, he was still asleep, chasing whatever it was 20-year males did in their dreams. She thought back to her dream from the night before, it was like her other dreams, it centred around death and betrayal. But this time it was Syaoran who was killed, and not by an anonymous face, but by the very people she worked for, the council.

Looking away she focused on the blank TV screen, reaching over she turned it on, quickly hitting the mute button so as not to wake Syaoran up. There were pictures of Chaos on the TV, with his death put down to an unfortunate but suspicious accident to which the police where looking into. She was right, there was nothing wrong with the guy they had killed, and if anything else he was more of a saint than a sinner. Money given to countries destroyed by war, new rehabilitation clinics opened up in drug infested cities. But Sakura felt no remorse, it was her job, and sometimes the job took away what little emotion she had left;

The phone rang, waking Syaoran from his sleep and Sakura from her thoughts. They both knew who it was, and knew not to answer the phone, the answer machine would do the work for them. The machine beeped and the message carried through to the bedroom, the representatives' voice echoing coldly through the door.

"Mr. Li, Miss. Kinomoto, congratulations on last night, reports of a successful mission has come in. You have both been paid the standard price, as well as a little extra from the client. He sends his thanks for removing a thorn in his side. You will be contacted again at a later date and your next mission will be arranged. The council wish to send their congratulations on the teamwork – as this is a first for both of you. We will be in contact."

* * *

Two hours later Sakura was still in a bad mood – just in a different location. Tomoyo and Eriol agreed to come out and indulge in a little retail therapy – even thought it was just a way to get Sakura out of the house and stop her moping. Tomoyo eyed her friend in exasperation – she had noticed a drastic change in her over the last few weeks. She had never regretted killing someone afterwards – so why the sudden change of heart now?

"Sakura, what is wrong with you?" she asked caringly, "I've never known you to be like this after you've done a job. What's with the sudden change in heart?"

Sakura eyed Tomoyo, her answer mulling over in her mind. She herself didn't know what it was that had caused such a change, but whatever it was it was beginning to drive her mad. She had never felt like this afterwards, and she didn't understand why her emotions had come back and bitten her in the arse. Sakura had always thought of herself as a black hole, incapable of feeling anything other then hatred. The sudden rush of guilt that consumed her made her feel uneasy and dizzy.

"I don't know" Sakura replied honestly "I've never had a problem with killing before. I just never asked questions and was grateful for the money. Things just seem to have changed," she concluded sighing.

Tomoyo just nodded not sure what was going through her best friends head. She knew a lot had happened to Sakura in the past, and in some aspects the change in attitude was a long waited event. But at the same time it made her worry. She knew that Sakura was dealing with everything that had happened, and now she was dealing with the guilt of killing people, some of them innocent.

Sakura spotted Eriol and Syaoran and raised her hand, beckoning them over. Tomoyo noticed a slight smile raising the corner of Sakuras lips. That smile kicked her brain into overdrive. Suddenly things were slowly beginning to piece themselves together and make a clearer picture. The sudden change seemed to make more sense to Tomoyo than it did to Sakura. Tomoyo smiled at the idea, and just hoped it was true and not just a figment of her imagination.

* * *

After two hours shopping through the crowded stores Syaoran was beginning to loose his mind. He was now a packhorse along with Eriol and had suffered a severe telling of from some female rights activist when he started grumbling about carrying the shopping.

"Ok, please can we sit down and get something to eat, if I have to carry all these bags around then I'm going to need sustenance, and the aching in my arm indicated I need to eat," Syaoran groaned. "and failing that I don't want to get my head bitten off by another female rights person because my arms are hurting so lets get a move on."

They settled down in a small bistro just of the main food hall, they ordered drinks and waited for their meals to arrive. Sakura looked over at Tomoyo and was shocked to see she looked slightly pale if not nauseous. Tomoyo excused herself and dashed off to the bathroom. Sakura looked at Eriol, waiting for an explanation.

"She's been like that for a few days. I think she has a stomach bug or something, I don't know. But she seemed better this morning. I guess I was wrong." He explained. "you want to go check up on her?"

Sakura excused herself and walked towards the bathroom. Tomoyo was leaning against the sink, splashing cold water over her face, looking pale and drained. She looked startled to see Sakura stood over her, looking at her with a mixture of concern and almost amusement.

"Stomach bug?" she questioned. "And let me guess you're late as well?"

"How the hell can do you do that, point out what's wrong with me in five minutes and yet it takes you half an hour to choose a pair of shoes?"

"Woman's intuition?"

* * *

Finally home Sakura flopped down, her feet aching from too many hours trailing around shops. Syaoran felt as if his arms had grown at least another 6 inches from carrying too many bags, was determined to find out what was making Sakura smile. She had had a secretive smile on her face since she had escorted out of the toilets, aside from that the pair of them had been giggle like school girls ever since.

"Spill!"

"Spill what?" enquired Sakura, doing the best she could to pull her innocent 'I couldn't have possible done anything wrong' face.

"Whatever it was you and Tomoyo where talking about in the toilets and has made the pair of you giggling girls." He stated, not fooled by the innocent face.

Sakura just looked at him and shrugged trying to play that she didn't have a clue what he was talking about. In truth she was hoping that he would believe her and leave the matter be. Her and Tomoyo had agreed that they would announce the big surprise later in the evening when they were to meet up for drinks.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about, and if you'll excuse me I need to shower and get ready to go out!"

"You are so not getting out of this, and you do not need to start getting ready we're not going out for another 3 hours, and it does not take you that long to get ready." Syaoran crossed his arms, glaring at her. "Now tell me what was said or I'll play on your famously known weakness!"

"I don't have a weakness!." Sakura protested.

"Ah but you do, Eriol told me about it….you don't like to be tickled do you?" he asked, almost teasing.

"Now that's not fair. I can't tell you, honestly…Tomoyo would kill me. Please don't tickle me." She squealed as Syaoran launched himself at her.

Sakura wiggled free and skittered across the wall, Syaoran close on her tail. He grabbed her ankle, and pulled her across the floor. Sakura was squealing, but for once it was not in fear it was in fun. Syaoran started to tickle her feet, but Sakura wiggled away, he pounced on her and straddled her, mercilessly tickling her sides.

Emerald met Amber. And in that instant they both thought their hearts where going to explode. Syaoran leant in to kiss Sakura, and for once he noticed there was no fear in her eyes, for once she looked like a normal 20 year old who didn't have to deal with the weight of the world on her shoulders, or peoples deaths on her conscious.

Sakura herself was in her own limbo. Kissing Syaoran felt so right, she wasn't scared of what might happen if it went any further, if anything she was more worried that it would end here. She didn't want anything to end let alone this moment she was experiencing. There was something so surreal about the situation that it no longer felt weird. It was like kissing your best friend after you discover that he's the one you always wanted to be with.

Syaoran pulled away first and lay next to Sakura his heart pounding from the thrill of kissing her. He looked over at her out the corner of his eye, she was lying there with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips, almost as if she was afraid she was going to wake up from a dream and find it not to be real.

Sakura herself was in complete torment, she had enjoyed the moment, but she shouldn't have had such a dire lapse of professionalism occur, this could potentially be a life-threatening mistake. Sakura had heard tales of partnered assassins being caught, tortured or even killed because they were too worried about their other half to take proper precautions against the authorities.

Sakura sat up abruptly , causing Syaoran to shift uncomfortably. She gazed out the window and wondered what kind of danger she had put both herself and Syaoran in.

"Syaoran, listen…" she started gently before Syaoran put his finger over her mouth.

"Lets just let today be today and see where tomorrow leaves us, ok?" he said in a quiet tone. He too knew the risks, but didn't want to think about them. "Today is our day and tomorrow will be a new day where nothing has changed. But let me have one day, you are constantly in my mind, you were so protective and head strong when I first met you but you've changed into someone gentler. I know you don't want to hear this, and I know we are putting a lot on the line by even talking about it, but over the last few days I've grown to like you more than I professionally should, but there is nothing I can do about it. All I want is one day from you."

Sakura turned to look at him, what he said bought tears to her eyes and for once she could literally feel the cold and hard exterior she had built around her heart start to crack. It seemed to weird to her that someone she had not wanted to be with had started to re-awaken things inside her that she had forgotten could even be felt. She was used to shutting everyone out and living her life her way, but then this one man had come into her life and turned everything upside down.

"Today can be our day, and we'll see what tomorrow brings us." She replied.

* * *

In the penthouse offices far away from their happiness the eight council members and a guest watched as their plan slowly developed. They listened carefully to every word that was said, each man developing his own meaning of what was being said. But they all smiled in agreement. Sakura and Syaoran were playing right into their trap.

Little did the council know that this trap would have disastrous consequences for them, more than it would for their two employees. But the extra guest knew not to trust the two of them, they would have to be dead for everything to go according to plan. Killing one top assassin was dangerous, but killing two of the top was plain suicide.

None of the council knew the trouble they were getting themselves into.

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran walked into the bar they were meeting Tomoyo and Eriol hand in hand. At first they both looked at them as if they had grown an extra head, but decided against the option of questioning what was going on. Sometimes there were things you just didn't ask an assassin, and love life was one of them.

They settled down and ordered their drinks. Tomoyo kept sending Sakura looks, which roughly translated into 'What the hell is going on and why haven't I been told anything yet.' To which Sakura countered with a look that said 'So when are you going to say something?' In the end it was a battle of the wills, which Sakura naturally won. Tomoyo turned to face Eriol who was deeply engrossed in a conversation with Syaoran about the strange looks that women send each other. The conversation fell quiet when Syaoran saw Tomoyo look at Eriol with a worried look.

"Eriol, sweetheart there is something I need to tell you." Tomoyo said, trying her hardest to keep her nerves and lunch where they should be. "You see the thing is, well……..I'm pregnant."

Eriol's eyes went as wide as saucers in about 2 seconds, shortly followed by the famous goldfish mouth before he could get a word out, and Tomoyo took his silence as a bad thing.

"I know we didn't plan for it sweetie, but, oh god I've messed everything up!" she started to wail.

"Hey Tomoyo, love of my life, you haven't messed anything up at all, I'm just a little shocked." Eriol replied calmly, "but I suppose its time we started filling the upstairs of the coffee shop with little feet. I still love you Tomoyo, and I promise I will love our child with just as much."

Tomoyo looked at Eriol and knew straight away that he was being sincere. She flung her arms around him and whispered something in his ear that was for no one but them to know.

"Ok," Sakura stated, "We have a reason to celebrate, so lets go out and party. And in honour of the occasion I am going to toast to Tomoyo and Eriol and the expectancy of little feet to drive them up the wall."

Sakura's toast was met with cheers and the four friends set about celebrating, Tomoyo of course drinking non-alcohol.

* * *

Sakura was leaning against a bar in a club that she couldn't remember the name of drinking a drink she didn't remember ordering. The whole day had just hit her like a ton of bricks, and to be honest it hurt like a bitch. She was so happy for Tomoyo and Eriol, but at the same time jealous of the stability they offered each other. She knew she had given that up the moment she had signed up for the job, but every now and then it was hard to accept that it was a life decision and there was almost no way to back out, the council good as owned her for life.

The feelings of unrest were causing her to drink more than she knew she should, but for once she wanted to numb the pain that had turned her the a cruel cold person she was today. So another drink disappeared and another one appeared in its place without having to order it. But she drank to oblivion and the peace it would give her. But some obnoxious male rudely interrupted her drinking fun.

"Well hello there darling. What's a lovely girl like you doing drinking on her own. You got no man to look after you." He chided

"For your information I don't need a man to look after me, I can look after myself. So fuck off before you make me angry." She replied not taking her eyes of the slice of lemon in her rapidly emptying glass.

The man took a step back, no one turned him down, so this girl was either drunk or dangerous, and the speed those cocktails were disappearing down her throat he guessed she was more drunk than anything else. Well that suited him just fine.

"Listen sweetheart," he said lightly putting his hand on her knee, "you don't have to be afraid of me."

"Take your hand off my knee you bozo because your beginning to make me angry and I'm not very nice when I get angry." Sakura threatened through gritted teeth.

"Oh I'm so scared," he muttered sarcastically. "I think I'll just leave my hand where it is, or maybe I'll let it creep slowly up your thigh. You obviously just don't get enough love in your life."

Sakura watched as he slowly started to inch his hand further up her leg. For Christ sakes what was to stop her from breaking his neck in front of all these people, well except for common sense. She grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. He looked at her, first surprised but then his face slowly contorted in pain as Sakura tightened her grip around his arms, almost to the point of breaking. Just before the bones started to crumble under the extreme pressure she let go and shot him a warning look.

"You little bitch" he roared. "I'm the junior weightlifting champion and now ill be lucky if I can lift a bag of sugar."

Suddenly and unexpectedly the man raised his hand as if to strike Sakura. But even drunk her reflexes were ten times faster than his, she ducked quickly and took his legs out from underneath him so fast that he was on his back before his hand had even struck where she was sat.

The club fell silent, everyone looked over to where Sakura was. Syaoran got over to her quickly and noticed how she was swaying uncertainly on her feet. He then noticed the rather big guy lying on the floor looking up murderously at Sakura.

"Is there a problem?" Syaoran asked, authority present in his tone.

"Yea that little bitch nearly broke my fucking arm." He replied.

"And was there a reason for her doing that?" Syaoran asked. He could see there was no way he was going to get an answer out of Sakura, her eyes had that glazed look about them.

"Yea she's a fridged cow, she spazed out when I started moving my hand up her leg." He laughed out, thinking he was one of those people that no one would mess with; little did he know who he was dealing with.

Syaorans eyes narrowed in anger. He knew this type only too well, the kind of man who would wait till a pretty girl was on her own having drunk a fair amount and then prey on them. And he knew regardless of how much Sakura had drunk that she would never have let this man touch her.

The man stood up, levelling up to Syaoran.

"So what are you then? Her over protective boyfriend? Well I can't see you getting a shag out of this one." He laughed thinking his own retort rather humorous.

But before he had even finished laughing Syaorans fist came out of no where connecting with the right side of his face, sending him flying into the bar. Syaoran held his head down enjoying watching the man struggle when he was using half of his strength. The next moment the mans body flew over the bar with a crash, and before he had a chance to stand up Syaoran was stood over him, one foot on his chest.

"I swear to god if I find out you did anything else to her I will personally hunt you down, and by the time I'm finished even the best plastic surgeons won't be able to help you. Do you understand me or do I have to make more damage to prove my point," he growled.

"No no I understand, I swear I didn't do anything," he replied, cowering like a little boy.

"You better not have cause if you have you'll have to live on the moon before I stop hunting you!"

With Syaoran spun, digging his heel deeper into his chest before returning to Sakura. Tomoyo and Eriol were already with her both of their faces etched with worry. Syaoran, seeing that Sakura was in no fit state to walk picked her up and the four of them left the building.

* * *

"Will she be ok?" Tomoyo asked once they were back at Sakura's flat.

"I'll keep my eye on her and make sure that she's ok." Syaoran replied. "Now you two have to get home, I'll call you if anything happens, but you both need your rest, you should enjoy the sleep you can get now, cause in about 8 months time you won't get hellish much of it.

Tomoyo and Eriol left, leaving Syaoran to sort Sakura out. Her eyes were less glazed than before. But she had barely said a word since they got home. Syaoran could see that something more than that dick from the bar was annoying her, but he didn't want to push her into saying anything.

Sakura stood up and shakily moved across the room to where Syaoran was. She lent against him and drew warmth and comfort from her strong silent pillar. He wrapped his arms around her. And they stayed like that for a long time before once again settling into the same bed where Syaoran wrapped his arms around her and promised to chase away all the bad dreams.

* * *

End Chapter Nine

Please Review! And if you want me to email you when I update either say so in your review or email me –


	11. Rememberence

AN: Ok if my spelling is way off its because i've lost my spelling and grammer thing when I formatted my computer so please bear with me untill I fix this small but pretty catastrophical problem. Also in my AN at the end of the chapter there is a bit of an explanation that I feel I owe everyone that reads this.

Apart from that I only have one more thing to say, and that is a huge thanks to everyone who has stuck by me for this fic, there were times I didn't want to go on writing it but I looked at your reviews and I knew I had to continue. A special thanks to Avelyn Lauren because without your comments and constant support I don't think I would ever have finished the first fic, or even started this one. So this chapter is for you. I hope it meets your expectations.

Summary: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

Disclaimer - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

Chemicals Between Us

Chapter Ten - Rememberence

Syaoran woke the next morning only to find Sakura still sprawled out in all directions, and rather than wake her and face the hungover wrath that would ensue, he left her, lying on him as he turned to look at the ceiling.

Sakura had changed him, but whether it was for the better or not, he still wasn't sure. If anything he knew he was playing a dangerous game, there was no way he should get involved with Sakura, he knew it could put both their lifes at risk, but at the same time he couldn't keep away from her, even though he had this constant fear of putting her into mortal danger.

Syaoran thought back to the days before everything had been ripped away from him. He was part of a sucessful rich Chinese familly whose power was emense. He knew that if they were still here he wouldn't be where he was today. His Mother had always told him that he was like his Father, not just in looks but in personallity. To Syaoran this was a great honor, his father was a powerful man who he didn't see often. But if he could just harness that power then he too would become a powerful successor for the Li clan.

As it happened Syaoran was the oldest son his parents had had, his twin brother being 20 minutes later than he. And it was because of this there was tension. His brother had never accepted that he couldn't have the same as Syaoran. In the end it was what lead to the end of the powerful Li family.

It was suspected, but never proved, that Syaorans twin had been the one to spread an accelerant around the ground floor and set fire to the house were they were all sleeping. The only reason Syaoran had escaped was because he had snuck out previously to meet a girl he had been forbidden from seeing. And when he returned what worse punishment could you face than seeing your home crumble and burn around you, with your familly trapped inside.

Syaoran sighed, he used to wonder if it was the gods way of punishing him for sneaking out, but eventually came to accpet that the real reason was pute jealousy. They had never managed to assertain exactly who had been in the Li house that night. The blaze had been so fierce there was nothing left except melted mettle and stone that had turned to glass through the extream heat. In the end all syaoran had to mourn was the ashes that blew around him that night.

Sakura stirred in her sleep, but soon fell silent again. Syaoran noticed that in her sleep she had grasped his hand. The notion bought a smile to his lips. Ever since his familly had been murdered he had locked up all feelings that could make him happy. He had only felt anger and pain. That was why he was who he was today, he had let his emotions take him over. Originally his intentions had ben honorable, but now a days he just worked for men in suits, killing who ever he was told too for the money he no longer needed. For Syaoran it was a case of identity now, if he wasn't an asassin he would just be a regular guy on the street.

Sometimes he wondered if that was what he craved.

Sakura woke sometime later, her head pounding from a hangover. She groaned and snuggled up to the warm body mass next to her. It took at least a minute for her realise she was lying on Syaorans chest, her hand holding his. But instead of shying away as she would normally she took solace in the fact he was still here with her the next day.

She groaned again as the memories of the night before flooded back. Christ when had she last gotten that drunk, when was the last time she had let her emotions controll her in such a way? She was grateful that Syaoran had been there the night before to look after her. She couldn't handel a repeat of last time. Not now, not when her emotions were slowly beginning to emerge.

She lifted her head slightly and winced as another shooting pain shot through her temples. Mentle note to self never drink again she thought, or at the very least don't drink so much so that you give yourself the mother of all hangovers.

"Ah so my little alcoholic is finally awake," syaoran teased.

Sakura hit him, then blushed because he had called her 'his'. If anything she was still to tired to comprehend properly, but all she knew was she felt a warm glow after he had said it.

"Don't push it Syaoran," she croaked. "How long have you been awake?"

"About an hour, but you had adopted the star fish position and I deamed it safer not to wake you. You want coffee?" he asked

"Coffee and a tranquilizer please!" she groaned. "Never let me get drunk again."

Syaoran carefully moved away from Sakura, trying not to agrivate the obvious hangover. He grabbed a t-shirt from beside the bed and pulling it over his head he left the room.

Sakura blushed again. She was supposed to be a hardened asassin, and here she was with a hangover acting like a regular person.

She settled into a sitting position, and felt her head spin, followed by the morning after wooziness. She was grateful when Syaoran re-appeared, coffee and pain killers in hand. She managed a weak smile bofore throwing back the pain killers with the burning coffee.

Syaoran settled back down next to her, tentivly putting his arm over her shoulder. To his releif Sakura didn't pull away but snuggled in closer.

Just like a regular couple in the regular world.

"It seems things are going as we expected them too." Stated one of the old men on the council.

"Perhaps we should move up the mission date." Another suggested. "We need to encourage this budding romance whilst it's still in the early stages. If our plan was to fail, or if they were to find out, the events would be catastrophical. They would certainly try to kill us. And if a child was to be involved, well the matters speak for themselves."

"Do you really think they would do that?" Another questioned. "they know they would be hunted down to the ends of the earth if they were to prove disloyal."

"But who would send a hunter when the men who want them dead are dead themselves?" Replied the first. "We need to tread very carefully with this, or it wont just be their lives on the line it will be ours as well. And that gentlemen, is not a risk I want to take."

Sitting unsean in a corner a man grinned to himself. These old fools had no idea of his plans for the girl. As for Syaoran well he would have to be killed. The girl would make a fitting wife, and failing that there were always other ways he could use her. It was his time to get even with syaoran, and steal what he wanted the most, just like syaoran had done to him many years ago.

The phone in the hall rang, it piercing shrill making Sakuras head throb even more that it had previously. They let it ring through, already knowing exactly who it was.

"Mr Li Miss Kinomoto, your precence will be required this afternoon at 4PM sharp. Due to unforseen events your next assignment has had to be moved forward and we need to breif you fully before we send you into the field."

Sakura groaned. This was just what she needed, a hangover and a bunch of grumpy old fat cats who told her what to do. At the same time she was aware of an uneasy feeling building in her stomach. Missions that required two people normally took months of planning. Having to move it urgently either meant their intelligence had been wrong or the council were anxious about something.

After having a quick shower and forcing some food down sakura was ready to go. The Tokyo skyline was overcast and grey, a storm threatening to come in. The weather did nothing to calm Sakura's allready uneasy mood. And as a result Syaoran noticed it too.

"Whats wrong Sakura?" He asked.

"I don't know, I've just got an uneasy feeling. I don't know what it is or who's caused it, all I know is that something not so good is going to happen."

Little did she know how right she was.

End chapter 10

AN: Ok I know its kinda short, but there were just loose ends floating around that needed to be tied up. And I also realised that somehow I had completely neglectd syaorans past. So just think of this as a catch up chapter on what happened so far.

Ok so the thing I was going to tell you is related to updating. I know its been sporadic at best, well to be honest its been shite. But I don't think ill be able to update before mid march at the earliest, purely because I'm in the process of uprooting myself (again) and I will be moving from where I am now (in scotland) back to manchester. And inbetween all of this I have to find a job and a place to live, so it could tke sometime to get myself sorted out with internet and finding a flat so please just bear with me. I know I'm not the best writer out there and I know I;m pretty crap at updating but I promise to try my hardest.

And you all have my permission that if I havn't posted by the 9th april that you can bombard me with emails and start demanding an update. The reason being it will be my birthday (and you don't know how old I'm gonna be, I'm terrified) And the person who can guess my age gets a gold star.

So yea really really sorry in advance for being bad at updating

Please Review! And if you want me to email you when I update either say so in your review or email me – 


	12. Fix You

**AN**: Ok I know its been a hell of a long time since I updated, and really do apologise for that. In a nutshell its been one hell of a rough ride this last year. I ended up not moving so I am still in Scotland and then 6 months ago the RAM memory in my laptop died, and due to financial circumstances I couldn't get it fixed till last month and on top of that I had the most god awful case of writers block I had ever experienced. So all in all I am sorry its taken so long, but my internet is up and running and I finally know where I am going with this story so updates should be a hell of a lot more frequent than they have been that past two years.

So I hope to have the next chapter up no later than the 30th of September – mainly because I'll be on a train for a total of 9 hours so I will put the time to good use, but if its not up by then don't hurt me I promise it will be up soon.

**Summary**: Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting! Also the song 'Fix you' is written by Coldplay.

**Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter 11 – Fix you**

The first think Sakura noticed when she entered the council chamber was an extra person submerged in the shadows with the council. This extra person seemed similar, but also emitted an air of malice and hate. Her already weary suspicions bumped it up a notch. Never in the four years that she had worked with the council had their been an extra person present, and the aura coming from him or her was warning her that some plan was already in action and herself nothing more than a soldier on the battlefield.

Syaoran too noticed the extra person, but noticed Sakuras reaction even more. He cast a quick glance around the room and decided that they would have to talk about this later, he too was feeling uneasy but knew he could not show his emotions, emotion was a sign of weakness, and his weakness was something he did not want the council to discover. For once he felt almost normal, the last thing he wanted was the cause of this normality ripped away from him, that cause being Sakura.

It had been years since Syaoran had felt anything for another person. True there had been others, but in comparison to his feelings for Sakura they seemed like nothing more than a small insignificance to his past. He knew that if the council discovered that he had a weakness, and more importantly feelings for Sakura that they would exploit it to the best of their ability. And one thing Syaoran did not want to cause Sakura was more pain. She had already been through enough. He gently brushed past her and experienced the telltale rush of emotion every time he touched her. This seemed to jolt Sakura out of her revere and she too moved towards her place and sat down. Only Syaoran could see the slight shaking of her hand.

"Mr Li, Miss Kinomoto, we are sorry to break you out of you vacation at such short notice, but as I think you have already guessed something has happened that ha had to speed up our original plan. You are both to infiltrate Shinrutsu Technologies, who as you know are our leading competitors in the race to provide arms for the Japanese army. Our intelligence inside the company has pointed to a new advancement that could ruin this company and potentially take all remaining defence contracts. There are currently two positions available at the company. We will provide you with a cover story; you are two scientists who worked for this company but now find the working conditions intolerable. You are to offer your assistance to Shinrutsu technologies and take seemingly valuable information to them. This information will be laden with a high tech virus, and whilst the technicians are trying to fix the irreparable damage to their systems you are to kill the chief CEO and his team, rendering the company nothing more than a small problem." The representative paused, to give them time to think through their options. " As always you will be given extensive details into the company, the layout and the objective, these are to be picked up from ... after this meeting. Now are there any questions you need to ask to clarify what you have just been told?"

"Why choose the two of us for this assignment, surely one person would be more undetectable than the two of us!" Sakura asked, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Because sending two of you in, especially as a married couple will take most of the focus off you. We are also sending in a couple more disposable people who will jump in to avert any unwanted attention on yourselves. And for that reason you both must act with the upmost discretion."

"When is this to start?" Syaoran asked, directly to the point.

"You both begin your new jobs a week today. You will have the next seven days as time for research and training, but as I said earlier the more detailed files are with Asami, which also include the amount you will be paid at the end of this assignment. If you have no further questions then you are dismissed, the council have other important matters to discuss at the moment."

Both Sakura and Syaoran rose at the same time and performed a perfunctionary bow in the direction of the council before leaving. They were watched picking up their files from Asami and heading towards the lift. Only once it was clear they were no longer on the same floor as the council did the representative turn to face the council.

"My Lords," he addressed them as he bowed. "I am worried that they will smell a rat. I know of the councils' intentions and I am worried that if they figure out what is happening that it will be the end for us. For this reason I wish to hand in my resignation and leave the country before the assignment starts. With your kind permission that is."

"Hitoko, you have been a great help to us over the years, and we will be sorry to see you go. However we knew this would be happening sooner rather than later, and we know that you are not entirely in agreement with our plans for the couple. But all hard feelings aside we accept your resignation. Asami has your final pay package as well as a healthy retirement sum waiting for you at her desk."

"Thank you council. I hope that if we meet again it will be under different circumstances. Syaonara."

The representative left the room, knowing that it was not over. They were not going to let him go away with the knowledge he possessed and the threat he could turn into in the distant future. He checked his breast pocket for the letter he had written to an old friend of his in the army days. A letter that instructed him to pass on a message to someone who deserved to know the truth if he turned up dead. It was his insurance policy, and he knew that it was not going to save him, but maybe it would save three other lives that deserved to live.

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran met up with Eriol and Tomoyo at their restaurant. Building work was still underway, and to top it off Tomoyo was suffering Morning sickness that was making her unusually crabby.

"Seriously it's like something out of the exorcist, you really want to stay clear." Eriol told them after Tomoyo had vanished in the direction of the bathroom in a hurry. "She went to see the doctor yesterday, but apparently this is the usual until the second trimester so she just has to grin and bear it. She's off to see the homeopath tomorrow and the herbal guy the day after to see if there is anything they can do. All in all it's going to be an interesting 9 months. But what about you two, you both look pensive."

"With good reason" Syaoran explained. "The council are up to something and we don't know what but there is something undoubtedly fishy going on. But we just have to do as we're told, we've got no hard evidence that there is an underlying plot, just a feeling."

"And we can't act on feelings alone. They are immensely powerful people and we're nothing more than their pawns. But Syaorans right there is something going on. There was an extra person in the meeting this morning, and in all the years I've been with them there has never been anyone else privy to the darker side of their empire. And to top it off Mr Kawashiku, the representative," Sakura explained for Eriol and Tomoyos benefit as she had just returned from kissing porcelain, "seemed uneasy. Now he's a man who's been around the councils dirty dealings for years so not hellish much should shock him anymore."

Tomoyo raised a quizzical eyebrow. Despite the already constant churning in her stomach there was something else she could feel, and after staring at Sakura a few moments she realised what it was, there was a long absent sparkle back in her eyes. Resisting the urge to squeal at the top of her voice she excused herself to the bathroom again and did a little victory dance on the bath mat. It seemed as if Syaoran had finally given Sakura a reason to smile again, and it was a smile that had been long absent from Sakura's fragile features. And with that happy thought she felt an oncoming wave of nausea and once again found herself hanging over the toilet.

By the time she returned both Sakura and Syaoran had left, asking Eriol to pass on their farewells to Tomoyo.

"Did you see what I saw lover of mine?" Eriol questioned having heard the telltale dancing in the bathroom.

"If your referring to the fact that Sakura is smiling again and it's a real smile, then yes I did, if its something else your going to have to help me out!"

"Well lets just say it wasn't just Sakura who had a hidden smile. It's the first time I've seen him smile since we were very young, before he was told he would inherit his fathers company."

* * *

"Why can't I have her now, why do we have to bide our time and wait for them to get together, you know as well as I do it could be months before we see anything, and this assignment will only keep them occupied for so long. It is foolish to wait we should strike now before they realise what is going on." Xie xie shouted as he addressed the council. "Neither of them are stupid and now Kawashiku has left we're left with a great big plug hole that information can leak from."

"Xie xie, please calm yourself. We have been keeping a close eye on both of them for a while now, and we think it's only a matter of time before we get what we want. And as for Mr Kawashiku he has already been taken care of. Now we must plan out counter mission carefully, there is no room for mistakes, even the slightest deviance from their course will sound alarm bells, and we will struggle to keep tabs on them.

* * *

Sakura was lying on the sofa, her feet resting on Syaorans legs. They had been scanning the information given to them by the council for the best part of an hour and she could feel herself getting tired. 'Just a moment, I'll just close my eyes for a moment and then I'll continue working' she thought to herself. But before she knew it she was in a deep sleep.

Sakura, you must listen to me, keep your eyes open and watch for the moment that will change the course of your life. You will know it when it happens, and you will know what to do when the time comes."

"Mum," Sakura muttered in her sleep, causing Syaoran to turn and look at her. It wasn't a nightmare, he could tell from the expression on her face. He gently shook her awake, watching as her eyes opened to reveal the emeralds that lay behind.

"You ok?" he asked gently.

"Yea, it was just a dream. I think all this reading is driving me crazy. I'm going out for a bit. I need some air."

"You want me to come with?"

"No I'll be alright, I just need to think that's all."

* * *

Sakura set of at a brisk pace her muscles aching from a lack of exercise. She eventually found herself walking in Penguin Park. The park where she had grown up and where her childhood remained. Yet round the corner lay a darker memory, the place were she had lost her childhood innocence to men with no faces and no love for her. She allowed herself to wander towards the once well-known shortcut that became disused after a young girl had been raped there.

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse._

This was the first time she had been back since it had happened. The moment that had once changed her life forced her to carry around an enormous weight of anger and sadness. She stood where she had once been violated, the events playing as freshly in her mind as if they had happened only moments ago. Even now she could remember the pain and the smell. The cause of her anger and hate came from this place, and it was only recently that she had felt that anger slowly being to lessen. And the reason she felt that she could finally come back here and face the demons that had haunted her sleep for so long was all down to a man with a pair of amber eyes. At first he had caused further anger, and in some ways even more pain. She hadn't felt like she could trust him. But now they bought a sense of release and the promise that in the future they might being help and relieve her of the load she had carried around for so long.

_And the tears come streaming down your face_

_When you lose something you can't replace_

_When you love someone but it goes to waste_

_Could it be worse?_

And for the first time Sakura allowed herself to weep and mourn the loss of her innocence.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Syaoran was making dinner when Sakura came in. It had been hours since she left and he had been worrying the whole time. There was just something about her that made him feel human again. He turned to see her and noticed her eyes were red and swollen, she had been crying. He held out her arms and she fell into his embrace, almost as if she were trying to hide in him.

_And high up above or down below_

_When you're too in love to let it go_

_But if you never try you'll never know_

_Just what you're worth_

"You want to talk about it," he asked gently.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

"Not really, I just went back to places I never thought I would be strong enough to see again. I think this is the first time I've cried for myself in so long. I just wanted to say thank you.

_Tears stream, down your face_

_When you lose something you cannot replace_

_Tears stream down on your face_

_And I.._

"Thank you for what?" he asked.

_Tears stream, down your face_

_I promise you I will learn from my mistakes_

_Tears stream down on your face_

_And I.._

"For giving me the strength to go back, and for letting me fall in love with you even though you can be a chauvinistic male pig at times. I love you Syaoran."

Syaoran was momentarily stunned. He came a confession from a woman he had once seen as an ice queen, when in all reality she was nothing more than a young woman with a wall of steel protecting her heart. And here she was, giving her heart to him. He could feel Sakura stiffen in his embrace and start to pull away from him.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything. I guess I'm just over tired and emotional."

"Sakura.."

"No don't apologise, I shouldn't have sprung that on you, we said we were going to take things slow, I'm sorry."

"Sakura, will you just.."

"No its alright I should have

"SAKURA WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Syaoran shouted, hating himself for making her jump when she was already in such a fragile state. "I've been trying to say for the last five minutes that I feel the same. You're not the only one who's noticed a difference in our lives. I finally feel like I have a family again with you Tomoyo and Eriol. And I've come to realise that I love you too."

Time seemed to stand still for the two, both reeling from the others statement. And in a heartbeat they were once again in each others arms. Syaoran tilted Sakura's head and engaged in a long passionate kiss that left them both breathless and eager for more.

They fumbled their way into the bedroom, hand busily roaming each others bodies, touching unknown spots that triggered a gasp. They were both lying on the bed, Sakura's body under his, arching towards him.

"Sakura are you sure you want to do this?" Syaoran asked, worried that maybe she wasn't ready. "we can just take it slow, there's no hurry.

Sakura looked into his eyes and saw their burning passion, but deeper she saw love and compassion. She nodded her head, sure that she wanted this more than anything else. She reached up to kiss him, and then melted into his embrace, the worries of the world and everything else pushed away so they fell into insignificance.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you._

The council nodded in agreement before reaching over to switch of the screen. There was no need to watch what was about to happen. But behind them sat Xie xie, his eyes burning with hate.

**End Chapter Eleven**

**AN:** Sorry it's a bit shorter than normal – I'm a bit rusty at the old typing and I'm freezing to death so my fingers are numb!

Please Review! And if you want me to email you when I update either say so in your review or email me –

Ja

demi-kaijuu

-x-o-x-


	13. A Dark Shadow

AN: Ok massive massive apologies to everyone who has been waiting 4 years for me to update this damn story. I really am sorry and for a while I've kind of debated whether to continue with the story, but then I went through and re-read all the reviews I've had, and that kind of made my mind up for me. Cause you guys deserve to know how this ends and I can't bring myself to disappoint all of you.

So this chapter is dedicated to everyone who's ever left a review because without you lot I probably wouldn't bother finishing this.

**Summary:** Sakura and Syaoran both work as assassins for 'The Wolves'. One day they are partnered up, and instantly hate each other. But what happens when their feelings for each other change? What happens when something in both their lives changes, forcing them to choose between life or love?

**Disclaimer** - I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters associated with it, they are all property of Clamp. I just borrow them and make their lives more interesting!

**Chemicals Between Us**

**Chapter 12 – A Dark Shadow**

'Life is good,' Sakura thought to herself. A few weeks ago she had been a hollow empty shell, devoid of emotion, now she looked and felt like a normal girl. But underneath the happiness there was an underlying nervous current. She knew she had to concentrate on her next assignment, because at the moment she was currently floating around on cloud nine and not paying attention to anything that was going on around her. Syaoran was the same, she noticed. Their relationship had changed both of them into better people, but probably turned them into careless assassins.

"Syaoran, we really need to concentrate on this assignment." Sakura started, bringing it up at breakfast 3 days before they were due to start working at Shinrutsu Technologies. "We've spent the last four days doing nothing towards it. And I don't know about you but I can't wing being a scientist without doing some studying." Sakura felt bad saying it, but she knew if the two of them didn't start focusing there was going to be serious consequences. "The council are up to something and I don't want to risk doing anything that's going to put either of our lives in danger."

Syaoran met her eyes over his cup of coffee. She was right and he knew it, he too had noticed that neither of them was operating the way they normally did. Both of them should be sorting out their aliases and prepping for the mission. But he just couldn't bring himself to let both of them go down the same dark path they had been travelling for so long. For a few days it had been nice pretending that they were just a normal couple. That they went home at night and watched TV, not that they spent their free time planning how to assassinate the president of an international company, cleaning weapons or training.

"I know," he sighed. "Your right, we've both been neglecting our duties. We need to start prepping for this or Monday is going to be a joke." He frowned, thinking of the mountain of work ahead of them. "I guess we better read through the information given to us and at least have a basic knowledge of what we're supposed to be doing." He grabbed the two thick envelopes from behind the microwave and threw one at Sakura. As always she caught it with a deft hand, flashing a grin in his direction.

Sakura started to read through the mountain of information the council had given her. There was a detailed layout of the offices themselves, along with security codes to get to the director's office through a service elevator. Her work pass confirmed her name as Hikari Hantsu beside a picture of herself. There were pages of documents about what the job involved and what she would have to do and say to pass as an adequate scientist, as well as false information to pass on to the competitors about what Takiwana Technologies was up to. After a few hours her brain felt like it was going to explode, there was so much information to take in and only 3 days to absorb enough to make her appear to be a scientist.

"Why didn't I pay more attention in chemistry," she muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes which were starting to strain from all the reading.

"Because at the time you were being trained in how to be an assassin, and I'm guessing your mother didn't think chemistry or corporate espionage was going to feature massively in your future career choice." Syaoran commented, placing another cup of coffee in front of her.

"Your right though, about the corporate espionage part. Is it just me or does this seem very out of character for what we normally do?" Sakura asked. It had been bothering her for a while now. This latest assignment was more spy business than assassination.

"It does seem out of character." Syaoran agreed, "But I suppose that at the end of the day we are still going to kill someone and that if they sent a spy in, there is no guarantee that the job would get done properly."

Sakura nodded and turned her attention back to the documents in front of her. But doubt was still gnawing at the back of her mind, making concentration impossible. After another twenty minutes of staring at the same sentence she gave up and threw the papers back on the table.

"I'm going for a run." She stated. "If I stay cooped up like this anymore my brain will crumble through overuse and my muscles will pack in from underuse." She stretched, proving her point as several bones clicked in gratitude to being moved. "You going to stay here?"

"Yea, I will for now. The floor plan is still bothering me and I want to work out any kinks before we go in." Syaoran replied. "But if I don't make any progress soon I may have to ring Hitoko at the council and ask for some clarification."

"Wow – that's a bad floor plan." Sakura said leaning over his shoulder to have a closer look. "What if we were to go straight through here and then double back through the back of the office back to the service elevator – would that work better?" She asked squinting at the plan from a different angle.

"It might, but I think we need a better set of plans that this, these are useless cause they're from the original blue prints which are 30 years old. Walls could have been moved and doorways sealed off," he commented. "Anyway, thought you were going for a run before your brain explodes or the likes," he teased, grinning up at her.

"Alright, mister I can't read a floor plan, I'm off. I'll be back in a bit ok?" She asked leaning in for a kiss.

"Yep, just don't get lost." He retorted leaning in to the kiss. "You may be able to read a floor plan but your sense of direction is awful."

Sakura slapped him over the back of the head, scowling at him as he laughed. "My internal compass it awesome and you know it!" She flicked him the finger and blew him a kiss before putting on her running shoes and grabbing her phone.

* * *

It was a humid day, within twenty minutes of leaving Sakura was already drenched with sweat. She stopped near a water fountain, stretching before bending down to get a drink. It was only noon but the park was almost empty, everyone else was in work or at school. Sakura gulped the water, enjoying the crisp coolness as it slipped down her throat. Shaking out her limbs she continued running, the familiar burning in her legs gave her something to concentrate on. But in the back of her mind there was a churning turmoil. There were so many things that weren't adding up, and the most pressing was the feeling that she was being watched. She turned around, scanning the park for any movement and not seeing anything continued her run.

She didn't notice that hiding further in the park there was a dark shadow. He stayed away from the brightness cast down by the sun, watching her as she gracefully loped around the park in circuits. Sometimes she disappeared from view, but the man didn't move. He just stood there, still as a statue, following her with his eyes. He smirked as she stopped again to stretch; she was so close, but so far away. She would be his, have no doubt about it. But for now he had to bide his time and leave her as she was. But the through of the pain he would inflict on both her and the traitor Syaoran burned in him, making him smile.

* * *

Syaoran was still struggling to work out what was wrong with the floor plans, something just wasn't adding up. Reaching for his phone he dialled Hitokos number, a look of disappointment crossing his face when it went straight to voicemail. It was unlike the representative to be unavailable, especially this close to an assignment. Sighing he tried the number for the main reception, knowing that Mai would be able to put him through to someone who knew what was going on.

"Moshi Moshi Takiwana Technologies, Mai speaking. How may I direct your call?"

"Mai, its Li." He stated. "I'm trying to get through to Hitoko but his phone is going straight to voicemail. There are some problems with the documents I've been given and I was looking for some clarification."

"Ah Mr Li, Mr Hama is not available at the moment, but I can pass you though to someone who works in the right department." She replied. "Which section of the documents are you having problems with?"

"It's the floor plans." Syaoran said, slightly unnerved by the fact that Hitoko was unavailable. "Do you know when Mr Hama will be available; I would rather speak to him about this if possible!"

"Sorry Mr Li I'm not sure when he'll be back in the office. I've managed to find someone that works in the same department as him who will have the information you need. His name is Shuya; I'll pass you through to him now. Please hold," she said before hold music started to filter through the earpiece. It gave Syaoran time to think, this was the first time he'd never been able to get through to Hitoko, and it was most irregular. Before he could continue down his train of through an unfamiliar voice spoke to him.

"Mr Li, my name is Shuya. I understand that you've been having some problems with the floorplan that was sent to you, am I correct."

"Yes, there are some things that don't seem to be adding up on the plans I've got here. I was wondering if there was an updated plan I would be able to look at." Syaoran answered.

"I can certainly have a look for you and see if there is anything else available. Am I right in saying that you have the original blue-prints rather that the recent floors plan?" Questioned Shuya.

"Yes it looks the original blue-prints rather than a recent outline of the 17th floor."

"Well I have an updated plan here, I'll have it sent over to you asap." Shuya confirmed. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually yes do you know when Mr Hama will be back? I wasn't aware that he was going to be unavailable and I may have some other questions for him at a later date."

"Mr Hama is currently off due to food poisoning. We're hoping he'll be back in sometime next week." Shuya replied. "But I am aware of your project and can give you my direct number if that would be of any assistance."

Syaoran thanked Shuya as he took down his number. He was confident that he wouldn't need to speak to him again, and slightly less unnerved now that there was a reason for Hitoko being unavailable. But at the back of his mind something was still niggling away; there were just too many variables in this latest mission. There wasn't enough time to plan for this properly, and a lot of it would have to be done once they started working there on Monday. His brow creased as he tried to work out what they could plan in advance and what they would have to formulate on the job. He was broken out of his thoughts by the front door slamming. Sakura walked in, her skin glistening from the sweat she'd built up on her run. She went straight to the sink, grabbing a glass off the drainer and filling it. She turned and smiled at him, and all his previous fears were forgotten.

"So, how's the floor plan problem going?" She asked, finishing her drink in a few long gulps.

"Still seems senseless – I spoke to someone at the agency whose going to send over some more floor plans that will hopefully be more up to date."

Sakura frowned. "It's unlike them to not get it right first time. I'll be honest Syaoran there is a lot about this that's making me unhappy."

"I know, I've been thinking along the same lines. We're going to have to do a lot of this once we're actually inside Shinrutsu Technologies. There is too much we can't do till we're actually inside. This is turning more into an undercover operation than an assassination, but I guess there is nothing we can do about it now."

"Well, I think for now, we should go and see Tomoyo and Eriol, because we've been flat out at this for the whole morning. And I don't know about you but I can't face another cup of instant coffee – I'm craving the real thing!" Sakura said, trying to brighten the mood a little. He was right though, she mused to herself, there were to many unknowns to go into this guns blazing.

"I agree, but before we go anywhere you need to go to the shower, because I can smell you over here and I'm not taking you out when you smell like that." Syaoran answered with a cheeky grin.

Sakura crossed her arms, looking mock annoyed at him before throwing him a smile, and dragging him with her.

* * *

In the council room, an argument was taking place.

"They are asking too many questions!" One man shouted after watching the video feed. "This is getting to be more of a liability. They are two people we do not want to make angry." He looked angrily at Xie Xie. "This was your idea; I want to know what you're going to do to make this look more legitimate.

Xie Xie frowned at the old council member. "We have nothing to worry about." He said coldly. "We've all noticed over the last few days that the two of them have been more distracted and paying less attention than normal. We have Shuya in place in case they ask any more questions. I am confidents, that despite their misgivings, they will be at their 'new jobs' on Monday. Both of them are too proud to turn round and say they can't do it, and you're as aware of that as I am."

The council men murmured, discussing the merits of Xie Xie's explanation between them. He was right, they noted. Neither of their two top assassins had been as on the ball as previously. This blossoming relationship was impairing the years of training they had both received.

"You are right." He conceded. "As long as there are appropriate fail safes in place we will be able to salvage this. What kind of time frame are we looking at for the time they will be spending in situ at Shinrutsu Technologies?"

"It's been estimated that they will be there for at least 10 days, though it does partly depend on the strength of the security systems there," answered another. "It could be as long as a month, though I believe the longer they are there the more opportunity we will have to make our move. Am I right Xie Xie?"

Xie Xie nodded in agreement. "The longer they are there, and therefore the longer they are together the more careless they will both become. Once Syaoran has been taken care of, the more chance there will be that Sakura will be in no state to continue. That is where we make our move – though we have to wait for some other variable to come into play."

"Do we have a back-up plan in the interim?" Asked another man, his face hidden by shadow.

"We do, and that one is already in motion. I plan on leaving both of them open and vulnerable by stripping away the supports they lean on." Xie Xie answered, a cruel grin spreading on his lips. "All eventualities have been planned for, and since Hitoko has been taken care of there is no risk of our plan being leaked to either of them. Like you said earlier – they are two people you don't want to make enemies of."

All of the council nodded in agreement, though some were still uneasy that Hitoko had had to be disposed of. There were many things in motion now, and none of them could be stopped.

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran walked into the coffee shop about an hour later, still holding hands. Tomoyo nearly dropped a tray of mugs when she saw them together. The last time she had seen them was when they dropped in on the way back from their meeting. Obviously something had changed since then, and the change in Sakura was the most noticeable. She was actually smiling openly and not hiding behind a curtain of hair. Putting down the tray before she actually did any real damage Tomoyo raced into the kitchen to get Eriol.

"I suppose I better warn you," Sakura started, "in about 10 seconds Tomoyo is going to start asking lots of questions."

"Why?" Asked Syaoran, looking confused.

"Because we just walked into her shop holding hands and I'm grinning like a kid at Christmas. We've known each other since we were 3, she's going to put two and two together and come up with four!"

"Ah, you mean…?"

"Yes I mean that." Sakura grinned, before she was dragged away by Tomoyo. Syaoran just grinned and sat down, flicking a knowing glance at Eriol, who busied himself making another pot of coffee.

"So..?" Eriol started. "Something's changed hasn't it? Because last time I saw the two of you, you were both jittery over work and now your both smiling and laughing. Also you smell like Sakuras shampoo."

Syaoran smiled, "Yes things are different. Don't get me wrong work is still being an issue, but things in the household have got a lot better."

"By a lot better you mean the pair of you are now sharing a bed on a permanent basis instead of just sneaking back and forth between your two rooms?" Eriol stated, with a knowing smile.

"Something like that." Syaoran shrugged, trying not to say too much. Eriol just raised an eyebrow at him, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried not to break out into a stupid grin.

The next moment all either man could hear was Tomoyo squealing very loudly as Sakura shot out of the kitchen.

"Eriol you may want to go calm your wife down before she starts throwing up from excitement." Sakura explained looking a bit guilty. "I didn't mean to make her squeal quite that much or quite that loudly."

"I'm not squealing that loudly," came muffled shout from the kitchen, shortly followed by an excited looking Tomoyo. "And I'm not excited enough to start throwing up either!"

Sakura just rolled her eyes. "I think Moscow heard you squealing." She retorted, for which she received a glare. Turning to Eriol she asked for a coffee and sat down next to Syaoran.

Tomoyo looked at the two of them closely. They both looked happy and relaxed. She decided not to go wading in with loads of questions; there would be plenty of time for that later. She sat down next to Sakura, playing with a sugar dispenser and basked in the happiness coming from her friend. Sharing a knowing glance with Eriol she smiled and they talked about everything but the most obvious topic.

None of them noticed the man stood across the street, watching the exchange with a cruel grin.

**End Chapter Twelve**

AN: Ok so there we go – I have finally (after 4 years) got back on track with this fic. I know that a lot of this chapter may not make perfect sense yet, but all will be revealed!

Ja

Dk xx


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